Friday, December 19, 2008

20 Things I Love About Christmas

Well, I'm all snowed in with the first real blizzard of the year, enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, waiting for the kids to get up so I can start the mixer & bake all day! Yum!

I figured it's a great time to get my list of 20 things together to join in the fun over at The Inspired Room.

In no particular order:

1. Twinkle lights. Hung merrily on trees, laced through garlands, looped among mantle decorations, gathered in glassware.

2. Harry Connick Jr. All 3 cd's full of Holiday tunes, & even better, live & in person this year! What a treat!

3. Christmas lists. Not so much the shopping, but thinking of wonderful surprises. To tuck in stockings, or wrap in packages, to bring a smile on Christmas morning. It really IS the thought that counts.

4. Hot chocolate. With tiny marshmallows. In the special "only to be used for hot chocolate" mug.

5. Fresh fallen snow that sparkles like diamonds in the moonlight.

6. Cookies. Special Holiday cookies. Made once a year from recipes handed down from a great-grandma whose name I don't even know. That somehow managed to cross the ocean with Grandma (who died before I was born) back at the turn of the century. From a tiny village up in the Trentian Mountains in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.

7. Candy Canes. The chocolate mint ones.

8. Piling everyone in the car to drive around for hours looking at all the gorgeous light displays.

9. Making sure the tree is up for our Christmas baby. Her brother remarked, "It's just not her birthday without the tree!!"

10. Christmas cactus. A new tradition. A "must have" for when the college son returns from the desert.

11. Wassail. Here we come a wassailing. The smell of the spices filling the air.

12. Merry greetings from friends far & away.

13. The Muppet Christmas Carol. At least twice.

14. Sitting in front of the tree on Christmas Eve. All the other house lights off. The kids tucked snuggly with visions of sugar plums. Remembering Christmas past.

15. The Nutcracker, preferably the Baryshnikov version.

16. Taking the time to stop & do something kind for a stranger in all the hustle & bustle. Making someone smile.

17. Tamales. They just taste better this time of year!

18. The Christmas Waltz. My very favorite song.

19. The magic of Christmas morning.

20. Family. All of them. Nuts & all!

8 comments:

Lyndsay Wells said...

I really enjoyed this and realized I do that too on Christmas eve - ssit in front of the tree and remember Christmas past.

No word of a lie, two years ago when I did so I was thinking about my grandma when, in the middle of it, the stereo turned on by itself to a Christmas carol.

And people wonder why I say "Grandma can you hear me?"

Have fun baking today!

Anonymous said...

Your list was great! Looking at Christmas light would be on mine too! I love that!
Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

What the hell is a Wassail?

:)

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah - minor threadjack - you need to put up that recipe for Cinnamon rolls - I would cheerfully kill for Cinnamon rolls.

Anonymous said...

What a great list! I especially like #9 - Making sure the tree is up for our Christmas baby. Her brother remarked, "It's just not her birthday without the tree!!" My grandson's birthday is 12/12 and our family celebrates his birthday at my house. I always make sure the tree is done with the exception of star on top. We place it on the tree during his family birthday party. Lots of fun! Thanks for sharing your list with us, and Merry Christmas! ~Arleen

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading your list! We also love driving around (Christmas Eve) and seeing everyone's wonderful light displays!

Manuela

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Happy new year!!!


Melissa

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Happy new year!!!


Melissa