Walking in a winter wonderland

Reading everybody's posts about Christmas has really made me think about what my family does each year and just of my memories associated with the season. I fight every Christmas Eve to open one present (and then attempt to get my family to allow me to open more!) and we have our English dinner; roast beef, yorkshire pudding, trifle and we have those fun crackers and get to wear paper crowns. My mother tortures us by making us watch "The Night They Saved Christmas" (Which is an AWFUL movie) and we all drink a bit too much of something but stay nice.

When I was little, one Uncle would be forced to distract all the children, so he usually took us for a drive around town to watch for Santa's sleigh flying through the night sky. Every single radio tower was pointed at and the blinking red lights glowing atop the towers were of course, Rudolph's nose. When we arrived home all the presents were out and the folks that stay home would say, "Oh, you just missed Santa!" One year Aunt Patti took a picture of a glove falling down the chimney to prove Santa had been there. :)

My sister does a dance to "All I want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey -- several years back the dance ended in the splits and then she couldn't get up.

When we were small, Courtney and I would have on our little flannel nightgowns and we'd stand over the heating vents in the floor, trying to keep our legs warm and laughing as the nightgowns puffed out and made us look like marshmallows. We'd always help our mom make Peanutbutter Blossoms, which are those cookies with the hershey's kiss in the center - Courtney was so excited when she was very tiny about the cookies and ended up burning a tiny moustache on her face when she leaned onto the cookie sheet before it had cooled down.

One of my favorite winter pasttimes is to lay on the couch and watch the snow falling - when it is dark outside, staring at a street lamp as the flakes float to the ground is one of the most peaceful things to do. Some Christmas music, a mug of apple cider, a fire in the fireplace, some very comfortable pajamas, a giant poofy blanket, a cat curled up on your belly and the snow falling is without a doubt some of the best things in life.

Thanks for coming out here with me John, oh California boy. I'm glad you get to see what I've seen almost my entire life. I hope you love it as much as I do.