Please don't get mad at me for being festive about the holidays! Last year, I went all out in introducing our traditions! This year, I am just going to express some thought about Christmas!
First of all, the craziness, but absolute fun, that is involved in this holiday is...
Black Friday--in my vocabulary, Black Friday is very... black. As in sort of evil. Every year the craziness percentage gets higher and higher. And since million less people came this year, due to a crappy economy, I think that people expected to get more and more gifts and wacky Christmas stuff for less. I mean, 3 people were killed guys! Trampled! PEOPLE!!
Psycho Christmas Concerts
These are the killers, but sometimes fun. Little town resorts put on plays and cute musicals and kid-friendly shows. Your middle school has a big Christmas Concert. The town mens choir you didn't know existed is singing at the High School next Friday. Oh! And you know that little theatre downtown? Yeah, they are doing How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Can't miss that!
Lights Shows
I LOVE these! We went tonight with Scott and Suzanne and their family (along with Cami Searle, our cousin, Ali and Steve's daughter) to Thanksgiving Point to see the lights show. We hopped in the back of the truck and went through. After we were done, we skidded off to JCW's (a family favorite) and hit the road back home. It was great and our spot in line was actually pretty good (the wait was at the most, two minutes). Pretty worth it.
Shopping Deals
I don't mean Black Friday. I am talking about at the True Knit place that you go to in the middle of December because your mittens are old and torn and you need a new pair and they give you buy one pair get one pair free. You need six pairs anyway, so you pay for three! Heck ya! On with the shopping deals!
The Set-Up
I love this part. The anticipation for almost or more than 365 days and it's finally here - setup day. The tree is up, the lights go on, the ornaments fly trough the branches of your new beautiful Christmas tree, and all of your extra and truly just-so-cute-you-can't-take-it-down wooden snowman figures. Oh and the nativity set you got as a wedding present from who knows who! Don't leave that out! And, if you're cool unlike we are, the lights outside that you border your house with! If you can do that, you are WAY cool!
Family Parties/General Parties/Work Parties
The cheesey, Voice Male work parties at fancy hotels downtown that only children 18 and older are permitted at, or the neighborhood grandfather's party that just happens to have a hired and decorated Santa Clause at. Not to mention your family party that you can't miss. You are exchanging gifts, for heavens sake! Go, go, go!
Family and Friends
I can use family time around the holidays. They are way special!
Gifts
Hehe. Gifts are an important part of Christmas. Mostly giving them, though. When you give, you receive. It's wonderful to recieve, but better to give. Buying gifts is a pain in the rear!
Nativity and Scripture Story
The true light of Christmas is the light that shines from inside you when you read the scripture story. Without Christ's birth, the world would be a much much much worse off place. That is the true meaning of Christmas...
People at the office were freaking out, since they had a mega streak of boys lately. As in, 95%. Wow. We felt pretty darn lucky! I was sure that she was having a boy- but of course I wanted a sister. And then Emma just wanted a real life baby doll. Tal and Ethan wanted a boy, of course, and my parents didn't care. We just. . . don't want another Emma (and by that we mean Emma's behaivor). Anyway, everything looks great. The heartbeat and all that is doing well. No notified problems yet. So it sounds like we are going to have a healthy baby girl due in May!
