My Christmas Top 10 List

Hi, remember me? I thought I'd start back up with the blogging, if only to silence the clamoring of my devoted reader. Bwahahaha!

I was thinking about my favorite things about Christmas. Here's what I came up with.
10. The Salvation Army bell ringers. That's me, party of one, but it makes me happy when they show up.
9. Christmas cards. I even like Christmas newsletters. I love getting mail, and right after Thanksgiving, I get even more excited about watching for the mailman. Hearing from friends near and far just puts a smile on my face. This is the first year since we've been married that I didn't send any cards, but I'm still hoping to get something out by Valentine's Day.
8. Cookie exchanges and, better yet, homemade goodies.
7. Christmas crafts. I got to make 2 dozen paint cans for the MOPPET workers at church (filled with homemade caramel corn--see #8. I had never made it before and it was wonderfully addictive, if I do say so myself.) and then I made four of these little buggers:

Pretty, isn't it? The instructions are here
6. The Aebi family gift exchange. When we're with Scott's family for Christmas, they have a huge white elephant gift exchange and it's always so much fun. There are always a couple of dud gifts and a couple of sought-after, often-stolen great gifts. That nice collage picture frame in our entryway? I got it in the Aebi family gift exchange of 2004. One of these days I'll get our pictures in it.
5. "O Come All Ye Faithful"
4. Christmas movies. A Christmas Story is my favorite. I want a leg lamp. Katie was big on Mr. Grinch, either the classic cartoon version or the Jim Carrey version.
3. Putting the kids to bed on Christmas Eve. "Santa can't come unless you're aslee--." Boom, they're snoring.
2. THE FOOD!! Doesn't this make your mouth water?
Oh, yes, nothing says Christmas like a plate overflowing with strawberry jello, squash casserole, cornbread dressing, homemade rolls, sweet potatoes and...um, what's that last thing? Oh, yeah, "Chicken Fries" from Schwann's. We realized Christmas morning that we didn't have any chicken to go in the dressing so we punted with "fry-shaped breaded chicken product." I kid you not, that's what it says on the box. I had also planned to make a pecan pie (Scott's favorite) and a coconut pie (my favorite), neither of which the kids would touch with a 39 1/2 foot pole. I ran out of eggs and energy before I got to that, though. The dressing turned out perfectly--no small feat. I like it dry; Scott likes it moist; we both like it with green chiles, which hairlips my mama. I added a little extra broth to Scott's end and we were both happy as clams.

And my number one favorite thing about Christmas:

Christmas morning with children. William said, "A long-shot blaster and an archery set?? Could this day get any better??" and Katie said, "Oh, I don't believe it" over and over, jumping up and down and clapping. And, most precious of all, William had bought gifts for all of us, including Krypto. He had also drawn pictures for me and Scott and wrapped them. I got a drawing of an elephant spraying water over its head and you better believe it's going in my treasure box.

Okay, since it's just you and me reading this, I'm going to admit what I did late yesterday afternoon. I locked myself in the bathroom with a Hershey bar that nobody knew was hidden in the kitchen, and took a rare, coveted Bliss of Venice bath. (Found out this morning that they've changed their name. I pride myself on being comfortable with change, but dang, "Bliss of Venice" is a much better name than what they changed to!!) William smelled the yumminess and demanded a Bliss bath of his own, so that was the end of my Bliss of Venice stash. I ordered more today with some of my Christmas money. God bless Mr & Mrs. Santa Claus.