GIMME CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hello, blogging world. I want to introduce you to my love of CHRISTMAS. I just, seriously, really, okay, for real now, I just, really, really can't even sum up how much I love this season and how much I always have. Even before I could grasp what a calendar was and would have to ask my mom nightly if Saturday morning cartoons would be on when I woke up, I knew when Christmas was coming and what that meant. As a kid, it meant presents. I'm just going to be straight up honest. The religious aspect is there, and I totally celebrate all of that stuff, but when you toss a nativity scene and a G.I. Joe Rolling Thunder vehicle in front of a five year old, it's kinda obvious which one gets the attention. Now that I'm older I think that I appreciate the true meaning of it all a lot more. I'm a total fan of giving thanks, and looking back, and paying respects, and all that, so Christmas is great in that respect. I also really enjoy spending time with my family and doing all of our usual traditions.

These have in the past included:
- Putting up a tiny town of miniature houses (Liberty Falls) complete with a tree, tiny pewter figures, and bags of fake plastic snow.

- Arranging my international Santa Claus ceramic figures in a display.

- Celebrating with my mother's family on Christmas Eve, followed by the opening of one present after they all left.
- Wearing a new Christmas sweat shirt of some sort, always made by my mother, and usually involving my hand prints.

- Covering my bedroom in an obscene amount of Christmas lights.
- One year, I decorated the inside of my car with garland.

The traditions currently include (dates approximate):

- Going to Red Lobster on Christmas Eve (2003 - current).

- Watching Miracle on 34th Street on Christmas Eve (1996 - current).

- Family Christmas with my Dad's family, including Dirty Santa (or White Elephant, which is a name that has no Christmas cheer, or Chinese Christmas, which is what my Southern family calls it). A sub-tradition, the inclusion of cheap/nasty perfume Wind Song in the Dirty Santa/Chinese Christmas game (1993 - current).

- Hoppage Bowl. The family football game that takes place in East Tennessee, named after my great grand mother (2001 - current).
- Decorating the family Christmas tree and putting the most embarrassing pictures of me and my sister up front. Mine is my baby's first Christmas ornament where I look high. My sister's is a perfectly decent picture from when she was about 6 or 7, that I think she hates because she looks so uptight and prissy (1999 - current).
- Listening to my Christmas mix religiously. This is a special playlist that I've kept going for a while now, expanding and editing almost every year. I think I'm currently on the 4th version (2000 - current).

This year should be better than last year since I actually have a Christmas tree. That is awesome. That is covered in these.

I'm sure there will be many more Christmas blogs to come. I leave you now with one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite Christmas specials. The sarcasm in it is as beautiful as a freshly born reindeer.