Just so you'll know....

It's December. It time to go a little crazy. So I thought I'd share some of my quirks about the season. I am not one of these who dreads the constant activity. I am not one who hates the whirlwind. I am one of those who lives for every single moment of the season and I squeeze every bit of joy out of it.



I still leave CHRIST in Christmas. Christmas is love and hope and peace and joy. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the madness and the craziness as long as we never lose site of the real meaning of Christmas.

Here are some of the things I love that makes people think I'm a little nuts...



.....I like to attend as many Christmas functions possible. All of the functions I like to attend are with family or church functions. I like my calendar to be full. I already have 15 things on my appointment calendar ranging from children's school programs to parades to Christmas dinners with church friends.

.....I love to wrap Christmas presents and very rarely use gift bags unless it is a bulky present.

.....I NEVER use gift bags for the grandbabies...even if it is bulky. I just figure out a way to wrap it.  Watching them unwrap is one of my highlights of the season.

.....When Daddy was alive, I helped him do his Christmas shopping for Mommy every year. When I moved to Tennessee, he would send me money and tell me what to get and have me wrap it and ship it to him. He's been gone since '99 and I still go overboard for Mommy and send it to her so she will have extra presents to unwrap on Christmas. I always tell her that in my heart, some of them are from Daddy.

.....I love to bake and I will bake like crazy...only to give most of it away because we would never be able to eat everything I bake this month.

.....Every year, I have to watch Rudolph, Frosty, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Christmas Story, Home Alone, National Lampoon Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street (old version), Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, Christmas Comes to Willow Creek, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Smoky Mountain Christmas and my favorite, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

.....My favorite Christmas songs are Tender Tennessee Christmas and Mary Did You Know.

.....I cry every time I hear Alabama sing Christmas Memories http://youtu.be/fS-7EfnS4tQ especially when it says "there's that old easy chair, me and Daddy sat there waitin' for Santa's sleigh. Now Daddy's gone but we carry on..."

.....I love sending out Christmas cards. I love getting them too. I read everyone of them and sometimes get them out at night and go through them again.



.....I love shopping and being right in the middle of the crowds at Christmas time. I even intentionally leave some last minute stocking stuffers for hubby until the 22nd or 23rd so I can have a reason to be out in the craziness.



.....I love Christmas eve when the family gets together and enjoys a feast and the kids get to open presents the adults get them. I still like to buy for my kids as well. My son has always been one of those that gets impatient and loves to have something to open on Christmas eve. That hasn't changed as he's gotten older.



.....I love Christmas morning. Getting up with hubby and exchanging our gifts for each other and then spending the day lounging around in sweats all day. He'll make a big Christmas dinner for us and I'll spend most of the day reading whatever new book he gets me for Christmas.

I guess I just love everything about Christmas.