Thirteen Things about Christmas and me!
1. I LOVE Christmas! It's such a magical time of year. Miracles do happen, you know.
2. The Christmas songs are fantastic; Chestnuts Roasting, Jingle Bells, Santa Baby, Silent Night, Father Christmas, even Santa Claus and His Old Lady by Cheech and Chong...love it all!
3. The decorations are just so beautiful and I love getting them all out, being flooded with memories about where I got this one, or that one. My first ex-husband and I really got into Christmas and we bought many decorations together...I ended up with them. I like to put the tree up as early the day after Thanksgiving, depending, of course, where Thanksgiving falls in the month, and I don't take it down til a week into the new year. Only see it once a year, might as well enjoy it!
4. Finding a perfect present for someone and watching them smile when opening it...love it!
5. I don't look at Christmas as a stressful time; I look at it as a beautiful holiday, full of goodwill and a spirit of loving and kindness.
6. I even enjoy shopping; I love to watch the people in the malls.
7. Receiving presents is always good!
8. Visiting friends and seeing their decorations is good too!
9. I love baking holiday cookies; we had a tradition in our family of making cookies called Sand Tarts. You had to make the dough beforehand, chill it, then roll it out thin and use cookie cutters. Then we'd brush them with beaten egg, sprinkle on yellow, red and/or green sugar or sprinkles, saving, of course, the cinnamon and walnuts for the horse cookie cutter. Don't know why, but the horse always was done different. My parents would do this each year and I couldn't wait to do this with my kids. Alas!
10. A holiday table, laid with all the trimmings, and all the foods I enjoy cooking at Christmas: roasted turkey or maybe a crown roast of pork, chestnut stuffing, mashed potatoes, green crunchy string beans with slivered almonds, brussels sprouts with a mustard sauce, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie for afters...mmm!
11. Although I'm not religious, I love going to a church service on Christmas Eve and singing the carols & hymns, not that I can carry a tune to save my life (but I do know all the words!).
12. Carolers; I love wandering carolers, especially when it's snowing!
13. The smell of a fresh Christmas tree, or wreath!
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43 comments:
Got to agree with #4, that's the best part of Christmas. #6? Ugh Ugh Ugh!
Great Thursday post! Come see mine before everyone drinks it!
The brussels sprouts with mustard sauce sounds good! I'm the only one who likes them here, so I hardly ever have them. I like them with Tabasco sauce too. Collard greens too. You've inspired me to get some anyway - they'll have to deal. lol
I want the tree to be up for a long time too and the smell is so nice!
Your Christmas traditions are so nice. :-)
Sounds like your house would be a nice place to enjoy Christmas. Nice TT...
#10 makes me so hungry! You make it sound so delicious (I'll pretend I didn't see the bit about Brussels sprouts).
I love Christmas too. I will try the mustard sauce -- as I love mustard.
I don't get stressed either. I enjoy it, do what I can and forget about the rest. Isn't it about having fun? :-)
Oooh, I love baking cookies. We made so many different types when I was a kid but I limit it to a handful now. Still, it's a great memory.
MMM! I love the smell of a real Christmas tree.
love the smell of a fresh cut tree....but I can only do garland outside since it makes me sneeze so much!
Those cookies sound wonderful!
What a great post to get into the holiday spirit! I enjoy the malls during December, it's just the parking.
I like this time of year because I get to see my friends and family. Happy TT and thanks for stopping by.
Yep, you love Christmas just like I do. Excellent list. Have a great TT and a Merry Christmas. :)
Number four is the best part. :-)
I'm with you. I don't find Christmas a stressful either. I control how much I want to do and that's that. I don't go into debt or stretch myself too thin.
I love to buy gifts and make homemade caramels for my kid's teachers.
I put up my tree up this weekend, and I am looking forward to it. I love unpacking all the old special ornaments...they're like old friends.
Simply having a wonderful Christmas time...I'm simply having a wonderful Christmas time!!!!
Great list Janet, we haven't had carolers in YEARS. I so agree with your entire list!
If only I could relax enough to enjoy all of the things on your list (sigh). Thanks for the inspiration anyway.
Hmmm. I'm not getting your feed now. Weird.
You know, some of us non-Christmas celebrators like some of these same things...
Wonderful list. I will have to come by and read it again and again to help get me in the spirit this year. Your sand tarts sound wonderful. Have a great TT
I agree 100% with all your lists from 1 to 13. They are all so true. That is for me, I don't know with others.
I am just going to have to hang around you a little bit. I am fairly dull on Christmas. Maybe your cheer will rub off!
Happy TT, Janet!
I thought I was the only one in the world that had a memory of Sand Tarts. I love that you found them on my blog and that I found them on yours. Here's to tradition...may we pass them on to the next generation!!
Good post.
http://journeywoman.typepad.com/
Wonderful Christmas post! Happy TT!
I love your TT this week. Just love it!!
Mine's up here!
Nope, grandma was from Ohio and German. I'm not really sure where the recipe came from, but we had them every year.
I love the shopping!
The Pink Flamingo
http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog
I love this list and agree with you on all of it!
Hey, I like the new look too! :)
Christmas isn't stressful for me either -- unless I'm visiting the 'rents.
Happy TT and holidays.
Please stop by my superstitious edition.
I miss seeing Snape on your page but Johnny is never hard on the eyes.
What a happy post! :) Merry Christmas to you!
My Thursday Thirteen is up too! :)
I used to love helping to make or at least eating my mom's Christmas cookies. We'd always have so many, they'd last well into the New Year.
We always used to leave the tree up until mid Jan., Ukrainian New Year. :)
i love the smell of a fresh cut tree. We're doing artificial this time around.
Excellent list! I HATE shopping but I love giving gifts, so I'm willing to do it this time of year. :-)
Happy TT!
I love the smell of the Christmas tree! Love your new look to!
i love your pictures...i really love the tree! that is so cool.
kerith
http://kerithskorner.wordpress.com
I love your tree and post :) I LOVE the smell of trees too.
I love Christmas too, it is very magical!!
I am not a fan of the shopping though... too crowded makes me nervous!
I'm with ya... well, save #6. I avoid malls like the black death!
I love ornaments. Especially ones that were given to you as a present. Each year you remember the person who gave it to you. Even if you lose touch.
Nice TT.
Thanks for stopping by mine
Maribeth
www.marnini.wordpress.com
What a beautiful tree! I'd love to see the rest of your decorations too.
Awesome TT. And you're right, it's always nice getting gifts.
Sorry that it took me awhile to visit your TT. I tried to go to your Fond of Snape blog yesterday, but was unsuccessful. I just remembered that you were having problems with that one.
Anyways, I like your outlook on the holiday season. I too love to see the looks on people's faces when they are pleased with the gift that I bought them. However, you can have the mall shopping, lol.
Is that your tree?? It is *beautiful*...
4. I love finding the perfect gift for someone. (But I hate it when I think no one would ever possibly think of the same thing & then they do. ::sigh::)
9. We could never figure out why, but for some reason the Christmas tree cookies were the most popular in our family. They were all frosted sugar cookies. Not sure why we all fought over the trees...
11. Church on Christmas Eve is so peaceful... Especially if you can find a candlelight service.
12. We are going caroling in California on the 23rd!
13. Fresh cut pine is one of my very favorite scents too. =)
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