CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Movietime!

My hubs and I have always been big fans of television. I'm sorry to say we don't run marathons and we don't have any plans to start a couples bowling league. We're working on that one (the running part, not the bowling). We have always especially loved watching Christmas shows and movies. The kids all love popping some popcorn and curling up with the tree lights on and just being together. Here are some of our favorites:

-- White Christmas (ok, my favorite -- hubs won't even be in the same room)
-- It's a Wonderful Life (turned this one into a FHE last year, probably reaching a bit, don't you think?)
-- Polar Express (we all love the story even if some of the animation is very strange in a way I have yet to identify)
-- Christmas Vacation (no cats were harmed in the making of this movie)
-- The Grinch (this one creeps me out a little but the kids really like it)
-- Christmas With the Kranks (an exact, and humorous, picture of what has gone seriously wrong with Christmas)
-- Santa Clause 3 (our addition this year, both of our girls really love it)

We also enjoy watching the made-for-tv movies on the cable networks. Wouldn't it be great if all of our problems in life could be solved in two hours, not counting the commercials?!

OK, so now here's the deal. Everyone who reads this entry is officially "tagged" to respond or post on your own blog your favorite Christmas movies or television shows. So what are your favorites?

See you next time for my personal favorite part of Christmas: MUSIC!!! (hint: Josh Groban, anyone?!)

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Breakfast at Tiffany's

Well, it wasn't really breakfast, it was brunch. And it wasn't at Tiffany's, either. It was at the Little America, but you get the idea. It's times like these when I need Erin and Kara to give me a cool quote from a Jane Austen novel to use as the title for my blog post.



These young women and I have known each other for a very long time. Since we were all 12, to be exact. (And no, I won't be doing any math for you. I'm 29 years old. I like this age and I'm sticking with it. It's worked really well for me for a while now.) We get together for birthdays and at Christmastime, swap work and home stories, cry a little over the trials life has handed each one of us, and laugh over the silly memories we have, when all we had to worry about was how to get our hair to be the biggest in the group. And just so you know, I would always win. We're missing a couple members of our group, one who is living in Washington, D.C. and heading out with the U.S. State Department to Afhghanistan in January to work on the government's justice programs over there, and one who is living in Denver with her family. I love each one of my friends, mostly because I feel younger when I'm with them. Each of our lives is unfolding in different ways, but we have a commond bond of shared memories and a desire to keep our friendship going. Even when it takes three weeks, five calendars and a note from our mothers to get together, right ladies?! So I'm very thankful today for good friends to laugh and cry with and also for patient husbands who take over at home so I can have a lunch without my children. Thanks, honey!



Stay tuned for Christmas Movie time!

Hello, I'm a Children's Book Addict

Doesn't the saying go that "Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery." Well, here's my problem:

But, when your kids curl up in your lap every night to read a Christmas book, how can you resist? The girls never miss a night with one of their Christmas stories. In all fairness, my illness is not entirely of my own making. For our first three or four Christmas seasons after the Bug was born, my darling mother-in-law would send us clues to books she was sending to us. My mom also got into the act with several selections of her own. And I just had to have a few from a sale at the local book-selling giant. So, you can see how things got a little out of control. But I love every one of our Christmas books.

Some of our favorites:

Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera

Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas by Elise Primavera

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Angelina's Christmas by Katherine Holabird

The Polar Express by Chris Van Alsburg

Christmas in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Snowman Named Just Bob by Mark Kimball Moulton

Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

I'll Be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie

Eloise at Christmastime by Kay Thoompson

Sorry, I must go now. My sponsor is calling.

Stay tuned for the Ladies' Brunch!

Christmas Traditions: CHRISTMAS CHAINS!

I want you to know that I hesitated to put up pictures of the girls' Christmas chains. I would never want anyone to feel inadequate in the face of my own creative abilities. I feel each one of us has unique gifts. Mine just happens to be the incredible talent of stapling strips of paper together.

Each night the girls count to three and tear off their ring at the same time, like they were watching the ball drop on Times Square or something. It's really fun to watch.

A Mother's Prayer: May my children always be this easily impressed and entertained.

Next Up: Children's Books (or a plea for a "Party of Five Intervention")

Christmas Traditions: DINNER and DECORATING at GRANDMA and GRANDPAS!

We get together with my parents and siblings on the first Sunday of every month for dinner. We usually get a pretty good group, everyone comes when they can. In December, we help my Mom and Dad pull out their Christmas tree from storage and put up their train. Now mind you, this is no regular train. This is a very fancy, very fun, very pricey big train. They now have two engines, a shed to park one of the cars in, and track that goes around most of the family room downstairs. It is a ton of fun. Just ask The Guy.

My nephews are usually in charge of putting up the train. The minute they pulled out the boxes, Guy started screaming "Toot Toot . . . Toot Toot." It was so darling. We think he'll do fine, once it's up and going and he can see not to touch it. I really hope.

The girls were in charge of the Avon nativity, circa 1984, and handing ornaments to the tree decoraters. They just love to help. I wish I could bottle that love for when they turn 13.

So, we're looking pretty festive around here and Grandma and Grandpa's house is looking pretty fun too. Now is when I start skipping around the house singing "The Christmas Song" and listening to Christmas music 24/7. Did I mention I love this time of year?!

Stay tuned for Christmas Chains!

Christmas Traditions: SNOWFLAKES!

I thought I would let you, my blogging public (I think I'm into 10's of loyal fans all over the globe now! Yeah me!) in on some of the things we are doing with our family this year to celebrate Christmas. I must say the first order of business for any parent who wants to keep their sanity at Christmas time is to put on lots of recorded shows when their children watch TV. No commercials! If I hear "OOH, that looks great! I want that!" one more time, the next picture posted on my blog will be of our beautiful TV with a screwdriver through the screen! But I digress . . .

We participated in two of our favorite Christmas activities this weekend, the first of which I'll show you today. I love making snowflakes and the girls really got into it this year (The Guy wasn't interest in the snowflakes but played nearby with his trains, one for each hand, naturally). Number 1 did some great work, Number 2 needs to work on actually cutting pieces out of her snowflakes instead of just cutting into them! Here are some before and after shots:

I wish these photos were better. They don't really do justice to our collective creative genius. But serious backlighting + amateur photographer = sketchy pictures.

Oh, and don't forget the celebratory eating of ice cream (we think The Guy's ice cream was dirt flavored or something, from the look on that face). Anyone who knows my husband's family knows that most activities are followed by eating ice cream. Make snowflakes, eat ice cream . . . play in the snow, eat ice cream . . . get out of bed in the morning, eat ice cream . . . get the picture? I think we're the only home on the block where ice cream is listed on our food storage list. Wheat, check! Oats, check! Honey, check! Rocky Road, check!

So we're looking even more festive around here today. Aren't these original snowflakes fun?

Next up, dinner and decorating at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

What A Way To Ring In The Season!

As if on cue, we were pounded by the white stuff this morning. We couldn't have ordered anything more fun. However, since I was hosting two music recitals at my home this morning, I would have preferred an afternoon snowstorm, rather than a morning slammer. And just to make us all really nervous, the snow blower had a hard time getting started. It was still hibernating for the summer, I think. But My Guy (not to be confused with The Guy, who is two and does not currently understand what a bed is for) won out and convinced it to start. So we cleared the driveway, the recitals were fabulous and now we're all settling down for a movie, some twinkling tree lights and a quiet evening at home.

I'm so excited for this holiday season. We have family coming into town and we're already starting to make fun plans and looking forward to great traditions with Brett-o's side of the family, my side of the family, and some of our own traditions, too! Speaking of traditions, our first one of the season will be making snowflakes tonight. I'll post some pictures soon. I think the girls are going to get a kick out of it. So, put on a pot of a warm beverage of your choice, curl up with a good book or movie and enjoy this splendid season!