Deck the halls!

Now that it's officially the holiday season and I've broken out the ol' Christmas CDs and started to feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I've gotten to thinking about why I love the month of December so much. Well...

* The house can smell like anything from baking cookies to peppermint to evergreen...all smells that have good associations in my mind.

* Holiday music. It makes me happy and makes me cry (happy tears!) and gives me a break from all my other playlists. I've become sort of a grinch, though...I make myself wait until after Thanksgiving to break it out. Growing up, my dad didn't like us to play it before turkey day was over, and I always thought that was so lame, so one year after I'd moved out, I started at the beginning of November. By the middle of December, I was so sick of my Christmas collection. Now I wait. My dad was wise! It's like if you eat ice cream all the time, the allure of ice cream just isn't the same....

* Making Christmas treats. I struggle with these sometimes (especially a new fudge recipe I've been perfecting the last couple years...), but when it all turns out, the calories are completely worth the effort.

* Anytime you want to talk in hushed, secretive tones, you can always use the excuse of, "It's Christmas! You can't ask questions at Christmas!"

* Feeling more giving. What happens to America that for one month we set aside our self-serving, miserish attitudes and decide to be kind and giving? I don't know if that's the case for everyone, but it seems like people open up their hearts and wallets a little more to those less fortunate. Guilty, party of one, right here. Just this week I was shopping for Christmas gifts for some less fortunate kids and finding myself so excited about it! I guess one month of generosity is good for some of us more selfish folk.

* Cheesy Christmas specials on television! And the good ones, too. Our TiVo gets so full of these that it starts automatically deleting things.

* The color red is everywhere in such a cheerful manner! Bows and paper and lights...red is my favorite color, so seeing it in all its Christmas glory is kind of a bonus.

* Days off work and school. I haven't been in school for a few years, but at least for a couple weeks, my siblings and friends are free from the stresses of finals and term papers. I remember one year, I was done with the semester on December 7th. So glorious! So a shout-out to everyone who's still plugging away...the end is in sight!! And when you come to the working world (or at least fake it like I do...), the couple vacation days you get (or take) around the holidays are so nice.

Things that are particularly great about this Christmas:

* I have quite a few projects in the works that are bound to make some people's Christmases quite merry and bright. No hints!

* As of today, I haven't had to slip slide on the road as it's snowed! I'm pretty sure I'll get to fight that fight later this month, but for now, I'm happy as a clam.

* Amazon.com has made my shopping fairly simple and non-claustrophobic. I'm trying to be prepared enough that I don't have to fight horrible mall traffic or Wal-Mart lines at the last minute. Although one time, I did ALL my shopping on December 23rd. I felt like such a guy...(no offense guys...it worked great for me that year!)

* No boyfriend this year...I don't have to worry about the 'perfect' gift or stress over something homemade (one year I made a quilt for my guy...yeah, he dumped me three weeks later...ouch!).

* Christmas is on a Thursday this year--and I'm taking the day off the day after it. Long weekend for me!

...and of course, I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention the best part of Christmas. For me, it's hope. I don't want to get all cheesy or preachy, but celebrating Jesus Christ's birth gives me hope that I can be a better person.

Hope your holidays are bright!!