things i love about christmas...christmas decorations- lights, tinsel, glitter and all that sparkles. as a kid (and even now) i always loved driving around and looking at all the houses, trying to find the house with the most lights.
christmas music- i love o, holy night and as much as it is my favorite, nothing says the holidays to me more than my good ol' mariah carey cd (i upgraded to the cd a few years ago from my original cassette, and now i have it on my itunes too)
christmas movies & specials- i love 'em all! christmas vacation, elf, charlie brown, home alone 2: lost in new york...even the lame made for tv movies on lifetime and abc family!
yummy food- sugar cookies, see's candy, candy, canes, white fudge covered oreos, apple cider, hot chocolate. on christmas day we would have brunch- cheese strata, chips, salsa, guacamole, sooo good and for dinner was ham and potato casserole with cornflakes on top (i am a fan of ham on christmas- we just had turkey & stuffing on thanksgiving!)
i do love all the commercialism of christmas- i admit it. i think it's fun and festive. i like giving gifts and getting gifts, i like all the music decorations and events. but as charlie brown says, "i won't let all this commercialism ruin my christmas!" and as much as i love all that, i never forget the reason we celebrate- the birth of jesus. and i am always amazed and grateful.
now that i have my own little boy, i wonder more about mary & joseph and what jesus was like as a toddler- did he cry or have tantrums, or was he perfect even then? did he walk or talk early? i imagine being the son of god had it's advantages in the development area. was he a picky eater? what were his favorite toys? it's hard to wrap my brain around it all. when i look at ollie, it is truly amazing to think that god came to earth and for a time, was a little boy, just like him.
i hope everyone has a truly magical christmas! enjoy the lights & sparkle, a cup of cider, and take a moment to remember why we celebrate and what it's all about.
Merry Christmas
