Monday, December 23, 2013

25 Christmassy Things About Me

Over the years, I’ve shared many of those “getting to know you” type posts.  But I think it’s time for a CHRISTMAS edition!!

Here are 25 Christmassy Things About Me (that you may or may not already know):

1. When I was a kid (maybe Grade 6-ish?), I was at a sleepover with my friends one Friday night in December, and I had a full-blown meltdown because they didn’t want to watch Frosty the Snowman on TV.

frosty

2. I remember the day my mom came home with a black & white VHS copy of Miracle on 34th Street.  I was disappointed with her selection.  Until I watched it.  It became my favourite Christmas movie that day.

3. Since then, I’ve developed a tradition of watching it every year on Christmas Eve day.

miracle-on-34th-street

4. Elf comes in a close second on my list of favourite Christmas movies.

5. My eyes will pop open anytime after 4 AM (and no later than 6 AM) on Christmas morning.  And then I won’t be able to fall back asleep.  Doesn’t seem to matter how late I stay up.

6. My Aunt Marion started a BINGO tree tradition many years ago.  She filled her Christmas tree with BINGO scratch lottery tickets, and everyone was allowed to take one.  I now believe BINGO tickets make wonderful Christmas tree decorations.

7.  I believed in Santa until I was 12 years old, and I only gave it up because kids at school were teasing me so badly about it that I finally asked my mom.  And I think she couldn’t believe that I was truly still holding on to it.

8.  Actually, I still prefer to believe.  It’s way more fun that way.

9.  I always tell little kids that Santa comes to my house first – the very first.  They always argue with me.  But I firmly believe I am right.  It’s because I’ve been such a good girl, you know.

10. When we were kids on Christmas Eve, my little cousins and I used to do a “Young Family” version of The 12 Days of Christmas.  It included such gems as “10 Garry & Brent’s a-plumbing”, “5 Golden Donnas”, and “A Tiffany in a Christmas Tree”.

11. In our house, we always opened gifts on Christmas morning.  Some kids got to open one – or ALL – of their gifts on Christmas Eve, but our tree was always bare beneath it until Santa came during the night.

12. I still get a shiver of excitement when I wake up and see the beautifully wrapped gifts piled under the tree.

IMG_7591

13. I hate fruitcake.  Even Granny Young’s recipe, which I’m told even fruitcake haters love.  Not I!

14. I have been searching for the perfect Nativity scene for a really long time.  And I still haven’t found it.

15.  As a kid, I loathed The Muppets A Christmas Carol.  I now love it, and include it right up there with Mickey’s version on my list of favourites.

muppets christmas carol

16. Yes, I CAN name all of Santa’s reindeer.

17. Food that I associate with Christmas:  Turkey dinner with all the trimmings (of course), Mom’s cookies (particularly, iced sugar cookies and refrigerator shortbread), my cousin Donna’s bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, Randy’s little cut up pieces of sausage with a variety of mustards, Grandma’s buns (I miss those), sticky buns and wife saver casserole for Christmas morning, dry roasted or honey roasted peanuts, Lindor and/or Ferrero Rocher chocolates… I’m sure there’s more, but I’m drooling just thinking about it so I better stop there.

18.  Christmas Eve is not complete without going to church.  It is EXTRA- special when you walk out afterwards and a perfect Christmas Eve snow is falling…

19. And yes, I have been known to cry if I think it might not be a White Christmas.  (Fortunately, I haven’t had to worry about it this year, and thus, I’ve made a deal with Mother Nature to call a halt to the snow.  A snow cease-fire, if you will, for the holidays.  The snowplow guys deserve the break.)

20.  My dad always liked checking in with NORAD’s Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve, and I still make sure to look it up on-line at some point.

21.  Despite my adoration for Christmas, I was terrified of Santa as a kid.  I hated having to go sit on his knee.  I actually was afraid of catching him in my house.  I once had a nightmare as a young child of Santa looking in my bedroom window at me.

Santa-Claus-A

22. The main reason I learned to play guitar was because I just loved listening to my Uncle Garry and my cousin Troy (and sometimes my dad) play on Christmas Eve, and I wanted to be able to join them.

23. Dinner at Aunt Marion & Uncle Eric’s always included Christmas Crackers.  I don’t think I’ve ever opened one successfully.  However, once someone else opens it for me, I will always wear the crown proudly.

broken open christmas cracker with hat joke and novelty item usually used at christmas

24. Christmas is not complete without Rolly playing “Silent Night” on guitar to end our Christmas Eve church service.  When the lights go down and the candles are lit, it is absolute and pure magic for me.

25.  I have a lot of favourite Christmas songs.  But my all-time favourite is not a Christmas song at all.  It is my Young family belting “The Coconut Song” at the top of their lungs.  Over and over and over.  I can never hear it too many times.

And there we have it! 25 Christmassy Things About Me!  What are the moments you look forward to each year?  What are your traditions?

Whatever they are, I hope all your Christmas dreams come true this year! :)

2 comments:

Nicole said...

My nephew was told this year at 10 that there was no Santa. i guess he told his mom it made him sad because he preferred to believe and it was more fun. It was his dad/grandma that told him.

I think I was 11 or 12 the first time I came down and there were no Santa presents. I was so sad. Even though I "knew" I still believed.

Nancy said...

Rolly and Jared brought me to tears singing. I was just so thankful to be back with my flock and family. A couple tears were for Bethlehem, it's such a troubled spot. I too love Miracle on 34th Street. Nice post. Merry Christmas.