 Christmas Traditions
 
Christmas has always been my FAVORITE holiday! Through the years, new traditions were created and old ones faded away. This year, although it is sad to say, some old traditions have faded away...but, new traditions are just beginning!  I have always dreamed of taking a horse and carriage ride through the streets of the city all bundled up under a blanket in the carriage with the man I love holding me....the snow is lightly falling....the shoppers scurrying from one store to another....the storefronts lit up in brilliant holiday colors...Jack Frost nipping at my nose...new traditions...maybe one day I'll get to take that carriage ride! My Christmas season always starts on Thanksgiving with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! I'm usually cooking that day and while the turkey is is the oven, the Parade is on my t.v. Once I see Santa Claus, that's it....the season has begun!  Then there's the shopping!! I try to get a jump start on my shopping...I'll even start over the summer, you know, picking up little things here and there...but it never fails...most of the time I'm out shopping on Christmas Eve. I absolutely love going to the mall at that time...although I do dread the parking! All the decorations and hustle and bustle...I won't kid you either, I hate the long lines, but everyone seems to be a little nicer this time of year!  Just when I think I've got everything under control, I remember my letter to Santa!!  Have I been naughty or nice? Will I get my letter in the mail to the North Pole on time? Did he like the cookies I left him last year? It's so stressful to write that letter!! But, I think I've been a good girl this year and Santa always seems to know just what to get me!  I like to start decorating my tree (and the rest of the house) in the beginning of December. I love putting the ornaments on the tree...they are each like a gift. They hold a special memory and as the years go by and they become like old friends. Of course, the worst part of putting up the tree are the lights. Mine always get tangled and then a bulb is out somewhere, or they don't blink. It's at that point that I have someone else string the lights!  Of course no Christmas would be complete without movies! A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street are some great classics and I try to watch them every year. Just like ornaments on the tree, they become like old friends too! Don't forget about the music either...White Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town...there are so many great holiday songs to get you into the spirit of Christmas.   After Christmas Eve dinner (or party) I love to drive around my neighborhood...take the long, long way home...and admire all the beautiful lights and decorations on the houses. Some towns hold a Christmas contest and some of these houses are beautiful works of art (wish mine looked like some of them!) If your town has something like this, you should definately check our your neighborhood!  Then, it's back home as I'll need to put out the cookies for Santa Claus and try to fall asleep.  I STILL have trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve!  I would love to hear about some of your traditions and even traditions from a different country! Please feel free to drop me an email!  I'd love to hear from ya! |