I am so behind on blogging - shameful. I have much to fill you in on, but where to start? So many trivial tidbits...The season has consumed me with the usual bustle and craziness, I have little time to get things done and I already feel like I'm missing out on Christmas goodness. However, rather than list off the highlights of the past week, I opted to play a wee game of 'Christmas Tag' that was on my friend's blog. Lucky you! Here we go..
Do you like Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Yes. Equally delicious!
Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree? Can't answer for the big man, but we generally wrap all our presents. Unless it's too big or awkward to wrap...or if I'm too tired on Christmas Eve and simply don't care...
Colored lights on tree/house or just white? I'm with Shaunee on this one - before I was married I was ALL about white lights - didn't fancy the colorful ones. Now we have colored lights on our house, in our yard, on one of our trees. They look so festive! On our main Christmas tree, however, we still use white lights (old habits die hard).
Do you hang mistletoe? Yes! I don't really enforce it, however, unless it's Cody. But you may just get a wee kiss on the cheek...watch out.
When do you put up decorations? I start after Halloween....
What's your favorite Holiday dish? It's not really a dish, but I love the dinner we have on Christmas Eve with Cody's family. It's always SO delish.
What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? My parents would set up barricades so we couldn't get into the Living Room on Christmas morning until we ate breakfast and did the dishes. They placed them just right so we couldn't see anything! We would lean and stretch to see if we could steal a peek and we never succeeded. I loved that...
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We used to when we were little, but we haven't really started that tradition yet. I love opening all of them in the morning!
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lots of lights, lots of ornies...it's very festive and bright.
Snow! Love it or dread it? I love snow, I just hate to drive in it. There's nothing better than a white Christmas, am I right?
Can you ice skate? I can...I just choose not to.
Do you remember your favorite gift? Wow, too many to choose from, I've had amazing Christmases. One that does come to mind is the first year Cody and I were married he gave me a Firefighter Maltese necklace. It made me cry.
What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family, enjoying every minute of the Holiday. I love creating new traditions with my own little family!
What is your favorite Holiday dessert? Jolley caramel!! Seriously, is there anything better? We make it ever year and it is to die for. I eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's true. If you've been good this year, perhaps I will make you some.
What tops your tree? A vintage tinsel star.
Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Well, if I say 'receiving' I sound like a brat, don't I? I love giving gifts because I love seeing their face when they open it!
What is your favorite Christmas song? 'Baby, it's cold outside', 'The man with the bag', 'Hey, Santa!', 'Snow', 'The bell that couldn't jingle', the Scrooge soundtrack...hundreds more! I love Christmas music, I listen to it all year long.
Candy Canes? Ew, no - I hate peppermint. I love how they look, so I use them to decorate and have them in the house for others to eat, I just don't partake. Ew.
Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Not really. I know what Christmas is all about and I love teaching my kids about it. I kind of like being saturated in it - it's only for 4 weeks and it's fun!
Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooge, White Christmas, Elf, It's a Wonderful Life....
And there we have it! Now go do it on your blog. Upcoming posts? Family, bringing classy back, good friends, old movie club...stay tuned!
I grew up on Center Street and in front of our house there was a streetlight. We relied heavily on this streetlight many a time - to help friends find our house, to shed light on our all-night parties on the fourth of July, etc. There it stood, ever helpful, always on. The most important purpose of this light, however, was during Wintertime. Every time it snowed, my brothers and sister and I would pile on the couch in our living room and watch the snow fall in the glow of the streetlight. We would sit there forever, just watching the snow. We all loved to watch it, but my sister Andrea was the biggest fan. She would always be the last to leave the couch. I remember there being a fire in the fireplace, the smell of the Christmas tree, us in our pajamas pressed up next to the cold window...warm memories. When my parents were building our next home, they insisted on having a streetlight put in on our drive so that my sister could watch the snow fall. 
It's no surprise that I fancy some retro flair. I'm a huge fan of the 40's, 50's and 60's - the artwork, the music, the fashion...oh, the fashion! Amelia and Tanya came over last week and we were gushing over pictures in a book about fashion, admiring how glamorous women used to dress on a daily basis. My Mom told me that when she was little, her Mother would get all gussied up before running errands to the Post Office and the Grocery Store. She would put on a nice dress, gloves, a hat...fabulous. Women really knew how to dress feminine back in the day - skirts all the time, hair always set. One of the reasons I love old movies is seeing the dresses all the women wear. All the coordinating outfits and jewelry pieces, everything matching perfectly, the sounds of their shoes on the sidewalk as they walked to the office with a fur muff over their hands... 
Happy Thanksgiving! How was your feast? Cody and I ate up at my parents house and MY what a spread. Turkey, potatoes, corn, rolls, pies...the list goes on. It was so yummy! I stuffed myself and then followed up with 3 pieces of pie. Yes, I had a nap later. After dinner we went over to Cody's parents house and hung out with them for a while. Gary put up their Christmas tree and there was a fire in the wood burning stove...I LOVE their family room, I never want to leave! It's so warm and cozy. We finally made it home and got the boys in bed. It was a fantastic day and I'm thankful for so many things! Here is my final list of thanks:
I failed to mention that I went to see 'Twilight' on opening day!! I was able to disperse my reserved tickets amongst a fantastic group of girls and we all headed up to the Theater last Friday afternoon. We ordered some quick lunch and rushed over to meet my Mom and Jess for the movie. My thoughts? I loved it. It was actually pretty good! I went in with very low expectations, I was already anticipating it being horrible and lame and cheesy. But I enjoyed it! Could it have been better? Sure. But I was entertained and my heart fluttered and Edward is delicious - just as he should be. If you're too serious, you'll miss the fun of it. It is what it is, right? A teen romance. I will certainly be seeing it again, want to come? OH - and they are making sequels...YAY!
And finally, the Christmas season is officially upon us. Did any of you get up early to go shopping this morning? Me either. After that meal yesterday I was lucky to get out of bed at all. I am planning on cleaning up my house today and finishing up my Christmas decorating. I LOVE this season! It's not just the Holiday I love, but the actual feeling that is in the air at Christmastime. Half our neighborhood already has their homes covered in lights and I'm praying for snow! I'm also trying to suppress the desire to host a Christmas Party this year. I LOVE throwing parties and Christmas ones are such a blast! But I have decided not to stress myself out with yet another big party this month (already hosting 'Girl Friday', you coming?), and instead will invite friends over throughout the month for dinner, movies, wrapping parties, etc. I can't wait! Better turn up the Christmas music and get to work!
Today my Granddad passed away. He was an incredible man! My Mom called me this morning to let me know that he was taken to the Hospital last night. He was in ICU on life support until this afternoon. His passing was very peaceful and he was surrounded by his family. 
It's interesting to be a part of history...we have all witnessed so many things that our children will learn about in school and today will be one of them. How amazing to have an African-American candidate? A female running for the office of VP? So many issues and problems to be addressed and hopefully resolved. I'm not a political person by any means, but I felt extremely Patriotic when I voted today. I hope whoever takes office will be able to turn things around for the economy and be a leader we can trust.