Monday, December 04, 2006

Top Ten Christmas


Everyone has a favorite Christmas pastime. To me, the excitement of the holidays is everything we do to prepare for the day itself... such as decorating, baking, and caroling. It's the joy that is in the air that is contagious. What is your favorite Christmas delight?

Top Ten Christmas

1. Putting up your Christmas tree and hanging ornaments on it
2. Singing Christmas carols
3. Making Christmas cookies
4. Eating candy canes
5. Stuffing stockings
6. Wrapping gifts
7. Shopping
8. Ice skating
9. Mistletoe
10. Christmas music


I have an anecdote to each one...

1. Putting up your Christmas tree- Every year, the tradition has been this: the day after Thanksgiving (a Friday), our family would get up real early and go to a tree farm and pick out a live tree. There was typically a fight between two split groups about which tree was "the best." Soft needles, or hard? Tall, or short? Full, or skinny? There are just so many decisions to be made. However, sadly enough, a few years ago we discontinued this exact tradition. It all changed when we built an addition onto our house, and ended up with a great room with a tall ceiling. Much to my mom's dismay, we decided to buy a "fake" Christmas tree, something she thought she would never do. Despite the doubts, we have really enjoyed our "tall" tree with lots of ornaments that seem to multiply on a yearly basis. We now use that Friday for a great big breakfast to fuel ourselves for a day of splashing our house with decorations.

2. Singing Christmas carols- Our church goes Christmas caroling every year on a select Sunday evening. It is always fun going around with one of five or six groups and harmonizing in beautiful Christmas melodies. Our audience always enjoys it, and so do the singers! Afterward is a yummy supper of chili, hot dogs, and hot chocolate.

3. Making Christmas cookies- Mmmm. What is Christmas without good, Christmas baking? Every year, my friends and I get together and bake all day long, and then deliver our goodies to the elderly. It is such a fun tradition that we promise we will never let die out!

4. Eating candy canes- I LOVE candy canes. One thing I would note, though, is the shape... I mean, I know they are called candy CANES but it is such an awkward shape to eat. A favorite of mine is to make brownies, frost them with chocolate icing, and then crush up candy canes to put in the frosting. What you get is a delicious blend of chocolate and peppermint. Who could resist?

5. Stuffing stockings- Or pulling items out of them! My siblings and I always "opened" stockings on Christmas morning (and presents on Christmas Eve). I love the idea of reaching into a deep, soft stocking and wandering what it is your fingers are grasping.

6. Wrapping gifts- I actually despise this task. I am not a good gift-wrapper, and usually resort to finding a holiday bag that I can stick my gifts into with tissue paper all pretty spraying out of it. On the other hand, my mom is probably the best gift-wrapper I know, and always adds little bells, ribbons, sparkles, and bows to her gifts as an extra touch. My dad is a very computed wrapper, with all of his creases and folds measured out to the inch. Then there is me... if there was a way to wrap presents in Adobe Photoshop, I'd do it. I think I am just too impatient.

7. Shopping- I LOVE to shop, but another pet peeve of mine is people, people EVERYWHERE! Not that I don't love people, and not that I don't love seeing them out and about during the holiday season. Sometimes, though, people in big crowds tend to move very slowly and less seldom, and my natural instinct is to move at a very different pace than that. I can become frustrated when there are large auras of people who are blocking where I need to be, when I need to be there. However, I must say that everyone who is out always shines Christmas joy and it is an exciting time of year to be out... especially for shopping deals. :) Yay for door busters.

8. Ice skating- Who doesn't love the notion of ice skating on a desolate frozen pond OR on Michigan Avenue in Chicago on a frosty evening? How romantical and fun! Especially when you can pull off a triple axel!

9. Mistletoe- Hmmm... all I can say is, watch where you're standing.

10. Christmas music- One of my favorites!! What a way to share the joy of the season... I love tuning into my most-listened to station to hear Christmas music playing hour after hour. I know it is a little over-the-top to play it nontstop from Thanksgiving until Christmas, but it honestly gets me pumped. LOVE it.

What are your anecdotes, stories, memories, or thoughts? Please share them!

Love you all, T

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

two things...

first, all the continuous christmas songs are the WORST part of cmas.

Second, eating the christmas cookies is the best part of the season. :-) for sure. well maybe delievering them or making them w/ frinds... it's all good. :-)

wow early tongiht. way to go T. clap clap clap

Traever Guingrich said...

the greatest christmas band ever- the jolly octet. christmas songs are the greatest. romantical is not a word.

Luke said...

hmmm...My favorite part of Christmas would be the time set aside to reflect on the miraculous birth of our savior, but since that's not a top ten option...well, I'm going to go home now.

andrew k said...

I would have to say my favorite out of the top 10 list is candy canes. Christmas caroling is probably second. Then mistletoe. Ok not really, but still.

JakeGman said...

luke's got a good point! But a close second would have to be the family gathering around to watch "Its a Wonderful Life"...Best movie of all time, period! It is one that you can watch every year and I have yet to get sick of it...its a classic!

sarah said...

No Gab, you're all wrong. Christmas music is something to be listed to from October to January. My other favorite would have to be mistletoe. Okay maybe I should take that back....

Priscilla said...

This wasn't on the list...but I enjoy little kids opeing gifts. (like my husband LOL!)

Anonymous said...

I would have to say the christmas cookies....i love christmas cookies....i love to bake them, decorate them, eat them. You have to put red hots on some though cuz they are really good on Christmas cookies...they kinda get soft...mmmm....:)

Anonymous said...

i'll be looking for you under the mistletoe.

jw said...

gab, amen to your first part.

traever, i have a jolly octet shirt from cj, it is wonderful, i want to sing w/ya'll this year thing.

anon, riiight.

Luke, you nailed it!

nice memories/stuff T.

Anonymous said...

10 and 2