Good things about Christmas:
1. The reason for the season. My faith is a personal thing, and I am not a flagrant Christian by any stretch of the imagination, but the idea of a savior being born to save the world has great appeal.
2. Carols. I love the sounds of Christmas. They are happy sounds, generally. My favorites: Angels We Have Heard on High and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
3. Lights. I like the way the streets are suddenly visible, lighting the way for wayward children, lost souls and the Lamb of God.
4. Decorations. Okay, so some of them are quite cheesy but I enjoy seeing what people put out. Santa Claus and snowmen and elves and mangers and everything else just add to the general whimsy of the winter.
5. Snow. I know its not necessarily a Christmas thing. Still, it is magical. And Christmas snow is especially magical even if I have never seen a dancing snowman.
6. Food. Some of the best (and most fattening) food comes at the holiday time. Cookies and cakes. Fudge (yum). I even like fruit cake (my husband adores Claxton fruit cakes). Boiled custard (another thing my husband adores). Turkey, ham, yams. Such a buffet!
7. Gift wrapping. Don't you love the designs, the bows, the colors? Or the act of spending time thinking about the people you love while you're wrapping?
8. The presents. I like the giving part - and the getting part, too. It would be dishonest to say I don't really like receiving presents. I enjoy giving things more, though. I like the long process of giving thought to each individual, trying to come up with something that is the perfect thing. Since I limit some of my gift buying to food, "green" items, books, music, and the arts, it is sometimes a challenge.
9. Get togethers. I am not a social butterfly but I enjoy meetings with friends, small parties, family time with relatives seldom seen. This year I have family coming in from Texas; I am looking forward to seeing them.
10. Cooking. This is the one time of the year I do a lot of baking and cooking that I normally have little time for. It's fun! This year I want to try gingerbread - and maybe even make a house! - if I can find a recipe.
11. TV specials. Around here, it is not the Christmas season until Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the old version, the claymation one) has been watched by the two adults in the house. I also enjoy Santa Claus is Coming to Town and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
12. The tree. This year we bought as special "25th anniversary" ornament to add to our tree. Our tree has firemen and farm equipment on it. I really need to find a typewriter ornament for myself. Maybe I could put a red ribbon around a pencil?
13. Holiday reading. This year in particular I seem to be gravitating toward to syrupy sweet holiday stories. They are nice stories and this is a good time of year to concentrate on "nice."
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A great list of things to be greatful for!
ReplyDeleteThat could be my list ;) Do yourself a favor and buy one of those gingerbread houses that are already cooked and all you have to do is assemble it and decorate it. It will save you a world of frustration!
ReplyDeleteI agree...thirteen times!
ReplyDeleteI mostly love that people wish each other a Merry Christmas, there is a sense of magic in the air (if we stop long enough to feel it), and renewed hope for peace on earth (at least for a few days).
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is Fruitcake, Stolen, and cookies!
All these things are what makes the holidays a cozy time of year!
ReplyDeleteA great list...and I concur, especially on the music and the food. By the way, my Grandma used to make Boiled Custard. Oh my...I loved that stuff. Even more than eggnog.
ReplyDeleteI love watching Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman! The same 70's version too. Just doesn't seem like Christmas without them. We have a tradition in our family of watching Christmas Vacation. Every year it makes me laugh so hard, even though I know what is coming.
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
Do you remember that movie with the young girl Addie, "The House Without a Christmas Tree?" Jason Robards was the mean father. The wife died and he was cranky with a broken heart. I am dying to see that movie again.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love them all and have most of them on tape. The ones you mentioned and Heat Miser and Freeze Miser, Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th St., It's a Wonderful Life, The Homecoming. I start crying as soon as I turn them on and my daughter rolls her eyes and says, "Ma!"
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