#165 He Shops Every Level of Macy's

Did I miss Weekend I'd Forget last weekend?

And perhaps the weekend before?

Yes.

And I loved every minute of it.

While the past two weekends held moments that were Weekend I'd Forget worthy, in order to have truly enjoyed them, to have let them absorb into the depths of my being, there was no way I could blog about them.

I have been busier this holiday season than ever before.  At first, I thought, How can this be?  This year was like any other.

Then I realized I was fooling myself.  This year has been quite unlike any other, especially the past three months.  In October, I lost my senses and started a recipe challenge committing myself to cook 65 new recipes in less than three months.  In November, I started a new job, then baked for three days straight for Thanksgiving breakfast.  In December, I tried to juggle it all from making dinners to fulfill my recipe challenge to practicing violin for the lessons I began in July.  Somewhere in there I scrambled together time to blog, Christmas shop, and spend time with family.

I reached the days before Christmas slightly out of breath and certainly ready for the two week break from work.  I have only begun to kick my feet up and relax.

My house this week has been flooded with wrapping paper, bows, shopping bags, and boxes.  Even my organizational side has loved every second of it.

Saturday, Hubby and I spent the entire day in NYC, and I may have once or twice begged him to throw care to the wind and find an apartment there to rent with me.

Thank goodness he practically reminded me how expensive the city would be for our wallet.

I then pled with him to compromise and move us to the outskirts of the city.

I'm thinking it is still a 'no'.

We ate delicious food, walked around the shops at Bryant Park, and then shopped every single level at Macy's.

It was wonderful and all too soon I had to return to the reality of my little corner of New Jersey.

But that's okay.  There will be other weekends.

#160 He Went to College

Weekend I’d Forget

Saturday, Hubby and I visited my friend, Megan, at college.  Her college just so happens to be both of our alma mater: Rowan University.  

I have oh so many stories I could tell about Megan, but let me just start with this:

On the left, we have me with Megan at her high school graduation.  On the right, is Megan with me at my high school graduation.  

Talk about a great way to feel old.

Here are some more fun facts about our lives together:

*I've known Megan since she was four-years-old.  

*I started babysitting Megan and her older sister, Emily, when I was sixteen.

*We first bonded over nail polish and Disney movies.

*I taught third grade at the private school we both graduated from.  She helped out in my classroom during her sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school.

When Megan decided to go to Rowan, I was not only excited because I knew what a great school she was choosing, but also because it meant I would have a reason to go back to my old stomping grounds.

Megan's dorm is in the same building that Hubby stayed in during our second year at Rowan.  It was surreal being in the building again, and we both somehow remembered the rooms as far larger than they actually are.

One thing I love about Megan is that she is incredibly crafty and super motivated.  While I was putting my Christmas tree up two weeks ago, this is what Megan was doing in the common area of her dorm room:

I think the paper towel logs and tissue paper flame was my favorite part.

 Megan and her roommate also cut out amazingly intricate snowflakes and hung them over their couches.

After we spent some time with Megan, Hubby and I visited the bookstore--which is now in a Barnes and Noble.*

*How come everything gets better at your college once you leave?  In addition to the Barnes and Noble there is a cutesy row of shops within walking distance from the college.

We may or may not have spent a ridiculous amount of money on clothing to show our school pride.*

*In our defense, they have developed a fantastic new design for our school mascot: "The Prof", aka, an owl.

After coffee, we headed to my real real old stomping grounds: the music building.

Though I was a member of the orchestra and string ensemble, I have always appreciated the talent produced by the Rowan Opera Company and its directors, Marian Stieber and Jon Garrison.   

Though it would have been a real treat to attend a full production of an opera, with the orchestra in the pit, the "Evening of Scenes" that they arranged was a nice taste of seven different famous operas.  My favorite was the Flower Duet from "Lakeme".   

We decided we wouldn't wait so long to return and are hoping to make it back in the spring to see Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

#159 He Endures Music He Dislikes

Weekend I’d Forget

Naturally, Weekend I'd Forget has found its way to Tuesday again.

I'm totally okay with this.

Not really, but I'll get over it.

This weekend was absolutely the best.  Before I get to my positively favorite part, I'll tell you what came in as second runner up: Pie tasting at Johnson's Farm.

Hubby and I went to their first annual pie tasting last year and we were not disappointed.  The $3 admission goes directly to Urban Promise of Camden to help provide meals to 600 individuals.  With that admission fee visitors get to taste every single pie that Johnson's Farm bakes on their premises--and trust me, it is more than just a few.

This year, we also had the treat of tasting meatballs and ziti from Roselli's Italian Market which is located just down the street from Johnson's.  Their sauce was divine, in fact, it was so delicious I literally could have slurped a cupful sans ziti or meat.

My favorite pie is still Johnson's sweet potato pie, though the apple lattice and cherry were tempting me to place them in first place.  Johnson's sweet potato pie has a lighter and more refreshing taste than the typical pumpkin pie--though I still wouldn't pass up a slice of their pumpkin if it was at my Thanksgiving dessert table.

Although the pie tasting was great fun, nothing could beat my Saturday afternoon spent in Hershey, PA listening to the rocking sensational tunes of Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO).  For a few years now I have been wanting to go to one of their concerts and finally Hubby made it happen, in spite of his personal preferences.

If you love Christmas and have never heard of TSO, please, do yourself a favor and immediately buy all their Christmas CDs. You will not be disappointed.

That is, unless you like frilly Christmas music that sounds like it belongs in the seventeenth century.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about traditional Christmas music here and there, but sometimes an electric guitar screaming out Joy to the World is just the right touch to make Christmas come alive.

I was, of course, immediately inspired by their violinist who dramatically ran all over the stage playing his electric violin.  Although, I think for dramatic emphasis he allows his bow to become ridiculously broken of some of its hairs.  There is no way that the style or amount of notes he played would ever make so many hairs come loose from a bow.*

*Note: If you have no idea what I'm talking about--ignore my rant.

It was clear that the members of TSO are not merely musicians, but they are also entertainers.  They knew exactly how to involve the audience and get them hyped for each and every song they perform.

While there were five main performers (two electric guitars, one bass, one keyboardist, and the electric violin) there were also vocal soloists, backup singers, a small strings section, drummer, and another pianist.  I always wondered how one might become a part of the strings section (because, naturally life on the road at Christmastime is clearly one of the things I aspire towards---not!) and was interested to learn that they hire their strings section from the local symphony orchestra.  The group at our performance were part of the Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra.

It was the perfect kick off to the start of the holiday season.  Don't hate me, but my Christmas tree has been up for a week now and my heart jumps a little in excitement when I drive by other homes with Christmas trees that sit beside windows shining proudly for all to see.

 

#119 He Doesn't Stop the Music

I love in November when some radio stations begin playing Christmas music all day long.  In my area, I have a choice of three which makes commercial breaks just fine with me.  As Christmas Day draws near, a few other stations join in with nonstop Christmas music and everything is right in the world.

The day after Christmas everything changes.  Finding a Christmas song on any radio station is like expecting to hear a Mozart piano sonata on a heavy rock station.

I can't wrap my head around why at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Day the plug is pulled on everything Christmas.  Suddenly, the pinks and reds of Valentine's Day stand in the forefront of supermarkets and department stories.  Radio stations go back to their regular routine, as if they had never played music filled with the hope and cheer of the season.  Employees of various entities who could only give the farewell greeting of "Happy Holidays" now suddenly can say, "Happy New Year".

In Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle says, "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind..."

Far too many people have a mechanical frame of mind towards Christmas.  Thanksgiving ends, Christmas decorations go up.  Gifts begin to be bought.  Cookies are baked on this day.  The tree is bought on this day.  Presents are wrapped on this day.  The tree comes down on this day.  Decorations are packed up and put away on this day.  Then, we'll all meet up at the same time, same place next year to do it all over.

Of course, some of the above rant is tradition.  I have nothing against tradition.  I love it.  My problem is when we lose sight of the meaning of Christmas by making it a meaningless part of the machine that is our everyday life.

When the music ends, it's like the world is saying, "We're done with that, now it's onto the next big thing,"

I know I'm a bit of a fanatic.  I get eye rolls when I say that I've been listening to Christmas music since September, a mixture of reactions when I put my first tree up towards the middle of November, and constant questioning towards the end of January from those wanting to know when I will finally take my decorations down.

I don't do it because I'm eager for Christmas Day.  I don't do it because I'm impatient and can't wait until Halloween and Thanksgiving are over.  I do it because the emotions and feelings that go into everything that is Christmas are ones I want to embrace for as long as possible.

The excitement and anticipation to give and receive.

The warmth and coziness of a glowing tree.

The contagious cheer that spreads like wildfire as the day approaches.

The childlike thrill of the first sparkling snowflake that falls from the sky.

The hustle and bustle of preparing the perfect gift or meal for loved ones.

The peaceful calm of knowing every family member is here to share one more Christmas.

The hope and joy of a Savior born to save us all.

So if you pass by my way and the buds of spring surround or the glow of a summer sun is in the sky, and you hear Christmas music--don't think me crazy.   Instead, know that I am longing for the feelings that only this time of year can bring and should not be too soon forgotten.

#118 He Doesn't Trash Pick

Hubby has a firm rule: We don't pick people's trash--no matter how good it may look.  While I may not have always followed the rule firmly, I've learned, as always, that Hubby knows best.

While on first drive by it may look as if the owner is insane for parting with the items resting patiently for trash day by the curb, I've found that if someone has put something out for trash there is usually a good reason that they did.

In October, I broke our rule and picked something up off the side of the road.  I'm giving myself a free pass on this one because it wasn't exactly in the "trash" category.  Four slatted doors with the sign "free" taped to them sat propped against a tree of one of the homes on the way to my parents' house.

I'm going to be honest---I knew when I picked it off the side of the road that it still fell under the trash picking category in Hubby's mind.  If I'm being really honest, it was that way even in mine.  But I had a reason, a very good reason.

Here lies my inspiration for grabbing the one door that I instantly found to be longer and heavier than expected, as I rammed it into the back of my car, after nearly falling onto my bottom, then almost taking out my rear window, while balancing this behavior with continuing to peek behind me in hopes that the home owners didn't come outside to get their mail at this precise moment:

Hubby's boss buys me a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens every Christmas.  Because of this, I have an ongoing file of future home inspiration and current home projects.  Considering my display of Christmas cards usually involves taping them around a doorway in the kitchen, this picture inspired me to find a more creative display for notes of love during the best time of the year.

I'm sure you can see why I needed a slatted door and why finding one on the side of the road was an absolute gold mine for me.*

*Note: For as much as Hubby does not want me to trash pick, he also does not want to spend either minimal or astronomical amounts on items that appear to be anything other than brand new.

While Hubby was away in LA, I cleaned the originally white slatted door and painted it red.

Okay, that story isn't quite that simple.

I went to Walmart, grabbed the cheapest, smallest can of red paint I could find only to discover upon finishing painting my first coat that it was Rust-oleum paint: paint geared towards protecting against rust and corrosion.  

Really necessary for a wooden door, right?

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I discovered it.

I also quickly discovered that paint, maybe particularly Rust-oleum paint or maybe just paint in general, smells absolutely horrid and can fill an entire house within minutes.  So on one of the coldest days in November, I cracked open all the windows in my house, left, and prayed that the smell would clear out.

Then I got the bright idea that I should have just endured the cold and painted the door outside.  Because, of course, I couldn't turn back time, hours later I moved the door outside and that is where it stayed for the following week.

But I think it was well worth it.  I now have a beautiful display not only for Christmas cards, but thank you cards, birthday cards, and other notes that ordinarily would fill the front of my refrigerator or the frame of my kitchen doorway.

#95 He Plants Trees

This past Christmas my hubby bought me two Christmas trees.  Yes, treeS.  I ended up with four Christmas trees in my house and have concluded that it still wasn't enough.  

It's at Christmas time that I tend to find out who is as obsessed with Christmas as I am, and who just likes to have a few days off from work.  I'm usually the minority, but I've made my peace with it.     

In case you missed my Christmas post, here's what the live trees in my house looked like:

There is something special about a live tree at Christmas time.

There is something even more special about a live tree that you can plant in your backyard after Christmas is over.  We did this once before over the course of the six married Christmases we've had, but then took a little break because: a) we waited until it was too close to Christmas and potted Christmas trees were not to be found or b) we were lazy that year and just didn't do it at all.

We made up for it this year by buying two trees.

I'm absolutely in love with the long pine tree.  The other one is beautiful too, after all, it is exactly what a Christmas tree should be, but the long pine one is so rustic and romantic.

Speaking of rustic and romantic....

Hubby finally had the time to plant my trees for me.  The tree to the right in this picture is the one we planted a few years ago.  

Planting the trees was an eye opener to the sad state our backyard is in due to us simply ignoring it for the last....three years.

Reminder: Don't judge me.

While hubby planted the basic Christmas tree in the backyard, I pretended I knew what I was doing and tended to our little splotch of land beside our porch.  There were leaves, weeds, papers, cans, and all kinds of other wonders buried in that area.

Two pregnant trash bags later and the area was ready for hubby to plant the other tree.

Even with all that, I don't think the front area beat the jungle growing in our backyard.

It's pathetic.

Everyday I pray and thank God that my town doesn't issues tickets for people who have disgusting backyards.

The goal now is to try and fix the backyard up and perhaps even start a small garden.

I'm mad, I know.

To be continued?

#85 He Lets Me Keep the Decorations Up

My Christmas was wonderful.  So was my New Year's.  And I know it's already the 5th, but today is just as good as any to write about the holidays.

So there.

My Christmas always begins when my parents' neighbor brings over our Christmas countdown candle.  This year I actually burnt it every day.  Okay, I'll be honest.  I started slacking at the very end.

But that's a big improvement for me.

I put up my two fake trees back in November.  Then hubby took me to buy a real tree.

We couldn't resist this one.  It's so different.  So, Charlie Brown tree-ish.  But not.  The best part is we are going to plant it in the backyard when Christmas is all over...and in our house that might not be until Easter.

But, we needed a traditional Christmas tree too.  That's two, two real trees, ah, ah, ah.

Sorry, the Count from Sesame Street just possessed me.  I can't promise that won't happen again.

I've heard many theories that you don't truly love Christmas if you don't have a real tree.  I won't say my stance on the topic, but I'd like to just comment that those who don't have more than one tree might be in the same boat.

That's all I'm saying.

This is my fun tree.  The one where anything goes with the ornaments.

Like this one.  Hubby bought it for me this year.  My secret career aspiration, from when I was probably 10 or saw Apollo 13, whichever came first, was to be an astronaut.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why that would never work for me.  Number one being that I was never very good in science class.

Now this seems a little more appropriate for me.  I broke this ornament when I was unpacking it.  You can hardly tell, but those keys are being held on by hot glue.

Somehow, I'm lucky enough to be able to spread my Christmas out for three days.  This is all because I have a husband who thinks celebrating Christmas Eve Eve with me is fun, and not crazy.  So every Christmas Eve Eve, we wait until about 8 and open our presents to each other.

Isn't it beautiful?  I wish I had taken a picture of them all wrapped up too, because hubby tends to make them look like a piece of artwork.  But this looks just as good.  I let the living room sit like this well into the afternoon the next day.

Then I piled a similar looking situation into my car as we headed out to celebrate Christmas Eve with my side of the family.

Okay, hubby piled it all in the car.  I watched from the front door and cheered him on.

My mom recently started buying Christmas crackers for Christmas Eve.  If you've never done these before, be warned, they are strange.

And depending on the type of cracker, can be very addicting.  These crackers had whistles in them.  My SILs and I became absorbed in creating music with them once everyone else had grown tired.

My third day of Christmas, was spent with my in-laws, then my grandmother, then my in-laws again.  I don't think I could have asked for a better day.

Hubby and I decided to try a little bubbly for New Year's.  We rarely do this simply because we don't really know much about the varied world of alcohol.

This one seemed good enough as any.

Perhaps you've noticed the lone champagne flute next to the bottle.  As hubby was washing the champagne flutes from our wedding (A task that I thought to myself, "Perhaps I should do this.  Hubby is so strong like the Hulk, he sometimes doesn't know his own strength.  Something as delicate as a champagne flute may just crumble in his hands," yet I ignored my instincts and let him--translation: I was too lazy to stop him and do it myself) I heard a clang and then a, "I knew that was going to happen," come from the kitchen.

This kind of thing usually doesn't really bother me.  I'm sentimental, but I'm also realistic.  I have about a zillion other memories from my wedding that our champagne flutes being broken shouldn't really upset me.  But I guess I was feeling a little punchy, so I went into the kitchen and said sadly, "That was from our wedding!".

To which hubby topped my nonsense by saying, "You're from our wedding too.  At least you're still here,"

Boy oh boy, how I love this man.

#83 He Inspires Me

I've had Christmas brain since July.

Okay, maybe longer.

Just possibly, all year long.

So, it's pretty much natural that I would write stories about Christmas. 

I know I've talked about it before but here it is again, live and in living color:

I'm just a little excited about this:

And this:

Because when I first self-published the book, in my haste, I didn't check to make sure whether these things were taken care of by the publisher or the author.

Clearly things like title pages, contents, and page numbers are the author's responsibility.  (And if you purchased one of the first four books sold before I corrected this mistake, just consider your copy a rare collectible).

I've gotten over the fact that it's "just a self-published book" when one of my friends pointed to the back cover:

where a little further down was the beaming bar code and ISBN number.

Perhaps it is a real book after all.

The three stories included are short stories about different Christmas themes:

1. The Christmas fruitcake no one ever wants
2. The glory of a fresh cut Christmas tree
3. The beauty of glistening Christmas snow.

They are appropriate for all age levels.

Click here to go to amazon.com and purchase your copy for Christmas today!  (Or at least, just go to the link and 'like' my book).

#78 He Makes My Day

Yesterday night's events in my house are worth repeating.  Here's what happened:

1. I began making pumpkin puree.  If you follow The Orange Strainer you know that I recently accomplished this feat for the first time.  Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I decided I would do it again.  It was with great strength, eventual pain, and much more time than I'm proud to admit that I cut three sugar pumpkins in half and threw them into the oven to bake. 

Note: No, there are not three pumpkins pictured here.  

2. My Christmas book came in the mail.  Even though it is only self-published, I was pretty excited to see my stories looking as if they'd been authentically published.  If anything, it is inspiration for the future.

If you'd like to purchase my book (please do!) click here.  

 3. I broke my blender.  It was this point when my night began to go downhill.  I had scooped my pumpkin out after it had baked and thrown it into the blender.  After a little pureeing, I went to stir it up a bit.  Then, I'm pretty sure I blacked out.  The shock was too great for me to bear.  The next thing I knew I was staring at a hole that had somehow come to be in my poor blender.

It is for your peace of mind that I have chosen not to post a picture of the remains of the deceased.

Following that event, my blender was then tossed into the garbage and the puree was cast into the wind.

And I may or may not have cried.

4. I made chicken parmigiana.  This is one of my favorite meals on earth to make.  Reason one...because I love pasta.  Reason two...because I love cheese.  Reason three...because I love sauce.  I suppose I could go on, but you get the point.  Somewhere around reason eight is my love for pan fried chicken.    

5. Later on in the evening, after I had vented about my broken blender, my husband looked at me and said, "You're my favorite person."

And that absolutely one hundred percently made my day.

#77 He Motivates Me

In one of my more recent posts I put a lot of blame on the new school year for my lack of blogging.  

Today, I'll tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I love Christmas.  I love it so much that I'm pretty sure I think about it a combined time of 10 out of 12 months of the year (and that's only because I'm pretty sure that eating and sleeping probably add up to two months worth of time).  

Last Christmas, I finished writing the first of a three story Christmas collection.  Of course, at the time it was only a one story Christmas collection.  It was during that time that hubby read an article about a woman who self-published through amazon.com (a website that I would be completely lost without).  She had been rejected by traditional book publishers a countless number of times and when it finally seemed like her book was going to be picked up, she was rejected again.  She wound up doing better self-publishing her book on amazon than if her book had been published the traditional way.

Hubby then told me that I needed to put my Christmas story on amazon.com.  To which I pointed out how silly it would be to publish just one short story.  

That's when he gave me the challenge: "Write two more"

  

I gave myself a deadline and can proudly say that I met it.  I cannot, however, honestly say that it was the soul reason for my lack of blogging.

But between working full-time and writing the stories for the book, I think I'm going to say they were both 50/50 to blame.  

For now, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

If you're looking to get started on the warm and fuzzy Christmas feelings, or you'd just like to show me your support, click below and buy my book!  I've outrageously priced it at $0.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Bringing-Christmas-Season-ebook/dp/B009V3HAS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351024389&sr=8-1&keywords=bringing+in+the+christmas+season

FYI: You can purchase this book even if you don't have a Kindle, you would just have it delivered to your computer and then it will download to your computer.  

#33 He Loves Christmas for Me

My Top Ten List of Christmas Favorites

It's hard for me to put all my Christmas emotions into words that don't sound like a mushed jumble of children screaming and teenage girlishness. So, I've composed a top ten list of things that make my Christmas complete.

Enjoy.

#1. Classic Christmas Movies.

There is something to be said for movies of the past. They just happen to be great. Greater than anything made today, in spite of all our fancy technology and capabilities. The movie industry just cannot seem to top classics like: "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "White Christmas", "A Christmas Carol", and of course, "It's a Wonderful Life". Christmas isn't complete without them. If you haven't seen any of those titles go buy them today and watch them before the Yuletide season is gone.

#2. Teacher Gifts.

Teachers can be big complainers. Last year, I got probably every complaining teacher's dream. For Christmas, the class all chipped in together to get me a gift card. I got one or two little presents, but that was it. And while I was stunned by and greatly appreciated the gift, at the end of the day I missed the wild assortment of typical teacher gifts. So, this year when I received a plethora of gifts of all shapes and sizes from my class, I was overcome with an abundance of joy and happiness that still hasn't gone away.


#3. Nostalgic Decorations

This is a sight that may not be seen for many more Christmases at my mother's house.

Stockings decorated in puffy paint, hand print ornaments, candy canes made into reindeer....bottle it all up. Store it away in your memory bank. Because this Christmas I was informed that when either one of my brothers or I have a baby, all the decorations with our names on them go out the window to be replaced by the grand kids.

I'm just not ready for that.

#4. Giving Gifts

I love to give. There is nothing quite as exciting on Christmas as watching the face of someone you love as they open a gift you know they are going to love. I'll tell you one thing I have grown to hate though. The dreaded Christmas list. I can't stand buying off a dull list. I try my best to find gifts that aren't of the ordinary. Gifts that really are the person I'm giving to, but aren't something they expected.

#5. Christmas Eve.

This is my mom's Christmas tree.

This is what it looks like on Christmas Eve night.

Christmas Eve night is my family's Christmas. That's right. We open every single present on Christmas Eve. It's pretty awesome. I've never known that experience most children have of waking up as early as possible Christmas morning to open presents.

Nope. I've slept in late and enjoyed knowing what my gifts were while the comfort of my bed surrounded me on Christmas morning.

Yes, I truly love my family's traditions.

#6. Revisiting Old Talents

Another tradition of Christmas Eve that I love is shared with my younger brother, Joel. Usually last minute, we throw together a fun variety show to perform for my family on Christmas Eve (before we open our presents). It's just feel good fun that makes Christmas more than just eating and opening gifts. This year, we sang a Frank and Nancy Sinatra song as part of our program. This entailed me picking up my guitar, which I haven't played in ten years, and making it work as our accompaniment.

My finger tips were yelling at me before the night was over.

#7. Christmas Cookies.

What makes a Christmas cookie a Christmas cookie? That it's made at Christmas? I'm not sure, but there is something delightful about Christmas cookies. Even the ones that are dry and taste like cardboard. They decorate a table just like ornaments decorate a Christmas tree. They are a conversation starter and a glimpse into different people's traditions. My husband had me participate in a cookie exchange at his work this year. The above picture was the turnout from the other participants. Not a single duplicate cookie.

#8. Homemade Gifts.

I'm not sure if there is anything that spells love better than a gift that took time, thought, and talent. You can't get a homemade gift off a list, you can't get free shipping on a homemade gift, and you certainly can't just go to the nearest mall for it. The greatest part is that if the receiver is a kindred spirit, you have just warmed their heart with your efforts. Sadly, there are those who will not recognize a homemade gift for it's worth, but me, I treasure them.

#9. My Kissing Ball.

My husband hates Christmas decorating. Hates it. With a passion. Now, he isn't such a Grinch that he won't help me at all. He will help me carry the boxes down from the attic, and he will put the lights on the tree, but that's it.

However, this kissing ball was one decoration that he bought years ago with a passionate "I have to have this" look about him.

And so, I love it too.

#10. The Savior of the World is Here.

Are any more words necessary?

I will just say, Christmas songs are a great way to remind us of this. My favorite is "O Holy Night", specifically this part:

"Fall on your knees,

Oh hear the angel voices,

Oh night, divine,

Oh night, when Christ was born"

Merry Christmas one and all!