my favorite christmas gifts

i had so much fun this christmas with my family and friends! i got lots of great presents, but these are my top five favorites (in no particular order):

#1: glitter crayons and a puppy dog coloring book
#2: my towel and eyelet apron handmade by my sister-in-law tara
#3: the three-volume set of Character Sketches books from my fab mom-in-law
#4: the westie mobile pieces and baby blanket my sweet mother made
#5: grizzly-bear slippers from my hubbie (which is in no way indicative of me being grouchy or a grizzly bear...)

i also really love the "holiday citation" notepad (which i have used multiple times), the warm and fuzzy socks and pj's, and all the great gift cards i get to spend!
presents are great, to give and to get, and i can't wait 'til next year! p.s. my birthday's coming up in march...

dirty santa indeed...

baby Jesus has been stolen from me. as have His parents, a sheep, and one lonely manger.

my aunt ginna is now the proud and very smug owner of a lovely snow globe of baby Jesus and His family. she stole it from me. actually my cousin angie (who has a history of thievery) stole it first; aunt ginna stole it from her.

perhaps you wonder at my extreme unhappiness at such audacity. you should know that i am a sore loser (see the aforementioned bananagrams debacle in my earlier post). i have been losing for a large portion of my life, and i have become quite bitter about it. when i was younger, my cousins and i always participated in an easter egg hunt. my grandmother hid a golden egg that had five dollars inside. i never found the golden egg. my cousin angie always found the golden egg (or at least that's how i remember it). she has gloated about it for years and even gave me a photo last christmas commemorating her victory. it's a sweet little picture of angie, age 6 or 7, holding the golden egg triumphantly in the air after finding it. in the far left of the picture is a sad little girl, age 5 or 6, head down, pigtails hanging, looking longingly at that egg. that's me. poor little me. she even included a golden egg in the gift with the framed photograph. as if i want it now...

and so, the stealing continues. we play "dirty santa" every year. everyone gets a number, you choose a gift when it's your turn, and the people that come after you can either choose to open a wrapped gift or steal yours. i took the high road this year and chose to open a wrapped gift. i was rewarded with a precious little snow globe with the beautiful depiction of the nativity. even the box was pretty and sweet. i made it through multiple rounds until angie came up short in the present department. someone stole her towels, she stole baby Jesus, and the rest is history. my sister tried to help me out by concocting a plan: i was to steal what she wanted (she also got robbed) and then when it was her turn, she would steal baby Jesus back for me. we just didn't count on aunt ginna.

aunt ginna is a tiny little woman. she's sweet and precious and super cute. she always has a smile for everyone she meets and she gives very good hugs. she even loves elmo (a great deal). but do not be fooled by this one. she smiled at me so sweetly as she took baby Jesus from angie. she even offered to let me come look at Him at her house. the nerve...

well, aunt ginna. angie. lesson learned. both of you had better come prepared to next year's christmas gathering. better get your A-game out. brush up on your slippery-ness, your mean streaks, your flagrant disregard for all things holy. you will be sorry (insert sweet smile here).

let them eat fruitcake

i hate fruitcake. always have. always will. i think it's the fruit part (because i typically really like cake). something about candied fruit...it's just not right. i have been forced to eat some this Christmas season (twice) and it's been so tragic that i feel the need to discuss it.

the first time was with my sister-in-law, tara. tara is normally an excellent cook. i have never eaten anything that she has made that wasn't absolutely delicious. until now. i told her i didn't like fruitcake, but she shoved some in my mouth anyway, exclaiming, "it's delicious, you will love it!" i didn't love it. i tried to act like i did, but i am not a very good liar. she was crushed. in my defense, i thought that someone else had made it, only to find out after telling her how awful it was that she had, in fact, made the fruitcake.

then yesterday...someone i don't know very well, a work acquaintance, asked if i wanted something sweet to eat. duh...of course i do. well, by then i had committed to it and she brought forth the fruitcake. i tried to get out of it by saying, "i don't usually like fruitcake...". it didn't work. she said hers was different from normal fruitcake. it was different. horribly different. i chewed a little and smiled. i said it was delicious. and then once i got away, i spit it out. i know...i am a horrible person. but fruitcake just isn't part of having christmas spirit. it isn't necessary. it should be banned.

so, to all of you fruitcakes who like fruitcake...you may have mine. enjoy.

this is how it's done

it has become apparent to me that there are people who need a little lesson in how to have some christmas spirit. i am a champion of christmas spirit, so i am quite qualified in not only judging who does and does not need this lesson, but also in being the one to provide said lesson. so, before you get all "who does she think she is telling me about christmas spirit", let me say this: i am the queen of christmas spirit and this is how it's done.

rule #1: christmas decorations go up before december 1. no excuses.

rule #2: every common room in your house gets some sort of christmas decor. in some
circles, it is extremely acceptable to put up more than one christmas tree.

rule #3: you should have a collection of christmas music. if you don't, get cable
and at least listen to the christmas music channel.

rule #4: if you are invited to a party, meeting, get-together, shindig, etc. where
tacky christmas attire is suggested, you absolutely MUST wear appropriate
awful christmas clothing! this includes, but is not limited to, ugly
christmas sweaters or sweatshirts, reindeer antler headbands, jingle bell
earrings, santa or snowman jewelry, striped christmas socks, hideous
christmas ties, etc.

rule #5: you must drink hot beverages regularly throughout the month of december.
this includes hot cocoa (with marshmallows, of course), hot cider, coffee
and lattes, wassle (it's delicious...google it), and any number of hot
toddies. if your drink comes with a peppermint stick or something festive
with which you are intended to stir, use it joyfully.

rule #6: if it snows, play in it. make a snowman, slip and slide on icy sidewalks,
throw a snowball, make a snow angel. it doesn't matter. just get up off the
couch, put on your hat, coat, and gloves, and go play in the snow!

rule #7: wrap at least one present per day. not only does this help cut down on last
minute things-to-do, but it also helps keep that christmas spirit going
every day.

rule #8: be an elf. find someone who needs help at christmas and help them! sponsor
a child, contribute to a toy drive, give to a family in need, serve dinner
at the homeless shelter...it doesn't matter what you do, but the true
christmas spirit is a spirit of giving. so get out there and give! you'll
be bursting with christmas spirit, i promise!

rule #9: buy christmas sheets. i know you don't need them. i know they don't match
your comforter and pillows. but they are cute, they are fun, and if you get
the flannel ones, they are just downright cozy! you'll feel christmasy
when you go to bed and christmasy when you wake up!

rule #10:make a christmas list early. i typically send my requests out to my family
in september and october. it gives them plenty of time to decide what to get
and it gives me time to change my mind! starting early means i have months
of christmas to look forward to!

rule #11:wear slippers. quite frankly, this should be done year-round, but if you are
not a slipper-wearer, at least do it in december. not only will your feet
stay warm and toasty, but you will feel cute, cuddly, and christmasy any
time you have snuggly little puppies, bears, or moccasins on your feet!

that, my friends, is how you have christmas spirit. it's how you enjoy the holiday season. it's how you find time to make cookies, mail christmas cards, shop for gifts, and sneak around creating surprises for the ones you love. so embrace it! grab a quilt and a cup of cocoa, put on some christmas music, and just sit and watch the lights on your tree (the one you put up before dec. 1). just get all christmasy inside. you won't regret it!

the crippled lamb

there's a book i always read at christmas time called "the crippled lamb" by max lucado (one of my most favorite authors). it's a children's book, but the message is so applicable to my life. it's a story about a lamb who is lame. the lamb is very sad that he isn't able to run and play, that the farmer has to feed him in the barn, and most upsetting to him of all, he can't go out to pasture with the other sheep. the lamb loves going out to pasture.

so one night, while all the other sheep and lambs are out to pasture, the crippled lamb is lying in the hay in the barn. he is crying, sad, and feeling very sorry for himself. suddenly, he hears a sound he hasn't heard before. the other animals in the barn investigate and they find a young woman amidst the hay. she is crying and seems to be in pain. the little lamb scoots closer, trying to comfort the woman. the other animals do the same and she seems comforted by their warmth and kind eyes. they stay this way all night, watching her, trying to help her in some way, as she labors with the child she is trying to deliver.

eventually, the baby is born. the little lamb is in awe at the beautiful baby boy, so perfect, so small. even more amazing are the visitors that begin to arrive. there are wise men bearing extravagant gifts, shepherds who have left their flocks to come and see this baby. all the while, the lamb lays close to the woman and her baby. he feels so blessed to have been a part of this birth. as the visitors talk to each other, as the woman talks to her baby, he begins to listen. he learns that this isn't an ordinary baby. all the visitors begin worshipping this Child, calling Him Jesus, the Son of God. the lamb cannot believe his ears or his eyes! when the other sheep return from the pasture, the crippled little lamb has quite a story to tell. he was there for the birth of the King. he was there to comfort the Savior as He came into the world. he was there when Jesus was born.

this story always brings tears to my eyes, and it always pulls at my heart. there are so many days that i feel like the crippled lamb. i feel unworthy, crippled, unlovely. sometimes i feel useless, uneasy, and jealous of others who are different from me. i find myself wishing my circumstances were different, wishing my body, my heart, my faith were different. i catch my heart longing to be in the pasture with the others who are happy and healthy. but God has called me to stay inside for now. and what i see as being crippled in some ways are just a part of His perfect plan for me. i don't know what i will be a part of in the future. i don't know what blessings i may encounter. but i trust in my Savior, my Redeemer, my Friend. only He can use my lameness to bring glory to Himself.

and so...i will lie in the hay. i will watch the door of the barn. i will wait, expectantly, hopefully, and prayerfully. and i will be ready for what He has to show me. i will be ready for His perfect plan, the one that i can't quite see.

humble pie

i fancy myself a rather good speller. i enjoy grammar. i like words, new vocabulary, good punctuation. i am a nerd. but i like it that way and i have always been proud of my skills in this department. i am also very competitive and a bit of a perfectionist. these things do not make a very good combination.

as a kid, i played lots of games. i love games. i didn't play with dolls much. no barbies for me (except sometimes i let them go to the prom and made them smooch). i played word games and card games. racko. uno. word rummy. go fish. everything was a learning process. i lost all the time, mostly just because i was a kid, of course. as i have gotten older, i have learned more words, and have gotten better at those types of games. i love taboo, catch phrase, pictionary, etc. i get a daily email from dictionary.com with my new word of the day. it's awesome.

so this weekend, i introduced my new favorite game to my family. it might be the best game ever: bananagrams. it's like scrabble, only faster, and you play individually. the best part? when you use all your letters you get to scream, "BANANAGRAMS!!!!!" i have played this game with my in-laws and my nieces (who, though only 8 and 5, are very smart and excellent spellers...). when i play with them, i win a lot. i expected nothing less this weekend. i was wrong. i played in excess of 50 games of bananagrams. i won 2. i cheated on both of those. and now i hang my head in shame. i did manage to spell some excellent words: torte, rabe, zanzibar (that's one of my cheater words...you can't use proper nouns). but none of them helped me win. my words let me down. i let my words down. or did i let down my words...hmmm???

in an effort to lift my spirits, i participated in a few other games. aggravation is a game from my childhood that i haven't played in years. it's awesome...and i lost. i also played twelve rounds of mexican train dominoes. i lost them all. it's official. i am a sore loser. i wanted to win. i wanted to be the smartest. but i am not. it's so sad...

anyhoo...i feel confident that the next time i play, i will win again. yeah...that's right. i 'll be playing with scarlet and lily, ages 8 and 5.