I love Christmastime. I really, really love it.
I love watching Christmas movies and crafting decorations and putting up those decorations. I don't know, there's just something so magical about it all.
I love buying gifts that I anticipate giving to others. The faces they make, the laughs they burst with, the joy they show... it's simply magical.
I have a few favorite traditions, though, that are the most magical of all.
When we are decorating the tree/house, we always turn on the movie Christmas Vacation. It is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen and I absolutely love it.
When we are decorating the tree/house, we always turn on the movie Christmas Vacation. It is easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen and I absolutely love it.
On Christmas Eve we usually go to my aunt and uncle's house in Kansas and have some very delicious appetizers. We then go to the candlelight service at their church and sing an a cappella Silent Night with the glowing light of the candles. It's beautiful. I also had the privilege of doing so at NRBC last year and have done it at Longview quite a handful of times as well. It is so incredible to stand in a sanctuary with other human beings of all ages, all connected by your faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, singing a song together and passing your flame on to the person next to you. Nothing compares to that feeling.
We then usually come back to their house and have a ridiculously delicious meal that my aunt, uncle, mom, other aunt, and dad all help prepare. Even though I'm in my 20s now, I still love eating at the kid's table. It brings back so many memories. Then we have some super rich, super decadent dessert that I can never finish a whole piece of. Mmm,,,,
Every year my uncle or dad reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" to everyone in the living room (I absolutely love this). We have been doing this since I can remember, and it is so special to me. When I was younger and we did it, I still believed in Santa Claus, so it was the precursor to my anxious sleep that night. As I've gotten older, I've been able to watch as my cousins get excited for Santa to come. Even though I think it's a silly thing, and it somewhat takes away from the real spirit of Christmas (i.e. the birth of Jesus), I think it's something special and a right of passage that every child should experience. It is magical.
We then usually open gifts. Sure, I love receiving gifts. But what I love so much more is giving them. I love it when I remember someone mentioning a little something they'd really like to have at some random time throughout the year, and then I get it for them and they open it. I guess it's just my way of showing them that I care about them and I like to help them get something they want, even if it's just something small. For example, for someone I care about, I looked on their Pinterest page (a place where you "pin" pictures of things you'd like to get someday. You can "pin" to a "board," such as a clothing board, decorations board, a DIY crafts board... it's really cool) for ideas of something they may want, so I saw a couple of really cool things that I could make myself for a very low price. That night, Jordan and I went to Christmas in the Commons here at CC and they had a table where you could do one of the ideas I had for the gift!! It was so cool! They had all of the resources I could dream of to make it, and that was just so neat. I am so, very excited to give that gift because I know it's something they really want and I put a lot of thought into what went on the gift. I can't wait to see their face when they open the gift, even if it was small and costed me basically nothing. Cost and size certainly don't matter. It comes down to the meaning of it.
I love having the ability to make people's gifts. I feel like I'm pretty crafty, and I enjoy crafting very much. It's neat to take a bunch of random things and turn it into something beautiful. I am just very excited about this gift.
I think the most important gifts are those that you put so much thought and love into. A couple of years ago, during the fall Jordan had mentioned he'd always wanted a nice watch but had never gotten one. So that Christmas, I bought him a beautiful silver watch with a white face and all those fancy little things on the face other than just the clock (I guess a timer and the date or something like that). It was so cool because he'd wanted one for a long time but didn't ever buy one himself or anything, so it was so cool to see his surprise and delight in getting something he'd wanted for so long. He wears it very often, and I always get that little tickle inside when I see it on his wrist.
I feel very blessed to have been born in a country where I can freely celebrate Christmas and have the ability to buy and make gifts for the ones I love and help provide for others who can't.
So back to my traditions....
After the gift giving, the adults do one of those gift exchange games where you have 3 rounds and can steal the gifts and all that stuff. This will be the first year of my participation, When I was younger, my cousins (and sister, before she got old! haha) and I would play with our new gifts and play games and do all kinds of fun stuff. I wish I could go back to those days sometimes. I really cherish those memories. I look forward to participating in the gift exchange this year. I remember all the laughs and yells and giggles that always came out of that game in the other room.
When we were little, I'd lay with my cousin in bed until she fell asleep. I remember doing that maybe a year or two after I discovered the truth about Santa. I kept pretending I heard reindeer on the roof so she better go to sleep fast! Then once she fell asleep I went downstairs to discover the adults putting all of the "Santa" presents out. I got to help them, and I thought that was really cool. I got to go through my right of passage, and then I got to help my cousins experience it. Magic.
After Christmas Eve fun at my aunt and uncle's, I always go to my godparents house to spend the night. When we were younger, we always did the whole milk and cookies thing for Santa, and we always put out carrots and celery for the reindeer :)
My brothers and I have always slept in each other's rooms on Christmas Eve. Even last year I slept on the floor in Chris's room (I was just excited he was home from Singapore). We missed Alex as he was in the hospital, but we made the best of the circumstances. Chris is almost always the first one awake on Christmas morning. He always wakes us up, usually either by jumping on us or saying something along the lines of "WAKE UP ITS CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!!!!" (No matter how old he is or how far away he lives, Chris is still a child on Christmas... but aren't we all?). When I was younger, my dad and mom would come over to Nino and Nina's as soon as we woke up and we'd all do gifts together. We always turn on the movie A Christmas Story while we open presents too. It's literally on ALL day on like 3 different channels. What a classic. As we've gotten older, though Brittanie (and Jeff) have had to adjust where they are on what days with the families and with their jobs, and my parents hate waking up early :) So for the past few years we have either done our Christmas after Christmas morning at Nino and Nina's or on Christmas Eve before going to my aunt and uncle's house. It doesn't matter when we do it to me, I just love watching them open up my gifts and getting to spend time together laughing and having fun.
At Nino and Nina's on Christmas morning, the first thing we do is open up our stockings while Nina makes coffee, tea, and/or hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. Our stockings always have tons of candy and some scratcher tickets! I think the most any of us have ever won is $5. But hey, five bucks is five bucks! Then we take turns opening our gifts, and usually Chris is the one the ends up being Santa and handing them out.
Even though my godparents are like Santa Claus on crack, it is a beautiful thing that they have done for me and for my brothers and sister. They have the ability to buy us great gifts and they love to do so! My dad and mom always find those amazing gifts that you have always wanted but forgot to ever mention you wanted it. I love that. They are all so amazing. They get that magical feeling that I get when giving gifts. But my family, parents, godparents, everyone, is so selfless. They do so much to help others all the time, especially during this time of year, and that is one of the most magical things you can do. I had the privilege of adopting a family during high school with Tiger Broadcast and I was in charge of buying all of the gifts. It was one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things I have ever done, and I look forward to doing it again with the Cross Country team this week.
Here are some photos to keep you entertained...
Many of these are old Christmas Card photos. Also, the adorable little girl (other than me! Ha! Just kidding) is my cousin Carli who is now 6 years old- Yay for magic!
My stocking for Jordan that I surprised him with (now we just need one for Jeff!)
I have so many memories of going to see my great grandma and my grandpa in Chilicothe on Christmas day. Those were some good memories (and good food!). For quite a few years now, my godparents have taken my brothers and I on some post-Christmas trips. For a few years we would go down to the Plaza for a couple of nights and stay at the Sheraton. Then, for a few years we went to Lake of the Ozarks. Ah, we always went crazy go-karting there! I remember one time when Chris spun me out into a wall and it was a wall of rotted wood and it just exploded! Good times. Then, in more recent years, we have gone to Branson and Silver Dollar City. We weren't able to do that last year with Chris being here for a short time and Alex being in the hospital, but I am excited to go again this year! It's always been a very fun time and we've always been very blessed with good weather (hopefully this year will be the same!).
This is a photo from one of our trips to Lake of the Ozarks
Here are a couple of photos from Silver Dollar City a few years ago.
Christmas is magical. It really is. It brings us all together in a way that nothing else can. Grudges are forgotten, fighting is put on the back burner, and love is in it's greatest abundance. Sure, there are a few scuffles and problems, but Christmastime is a beautiful, magical time that I cherish so very much.
I feel so very blessed that I get to celebrate Christmas to such an extent. I am so thankful I get to feel that magic every year. I have for 20 years, and hopefully I will for many, many more.
I am now going to go listen to some Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Buble Christmas music and watch Christmas Vacation to come on ABC Family.
Cheers.. Have a holly jolly evening.
LJM
Here are the photos I mentioned before...
We then usually open gifts. Sure, I love receiving gifts. But what I love so much more is giving them. I love it when I remember someone mentioning a little something they'd really like to have at some random time throughout the year, and then I get it for them and they open it. I guess it's just my way of showing them that I care about them and I like to help them get something they want, even if it's just something small. For example, for someone I care about, I looked on their Pinterest page (a place where you "pin" pictures of things you'd like to get someday. You can "pin" to a "board," such as a clothing board, decorations board, a DIY crafts board... it's really cool) for ideas of something they may want, so I saw a couple of really cool things that I could make myself for a very low price. That night, Jordan and I went to Christmas in the Commons here at CC and they had a table where you could do one of the ideas I had for the gift!! It was so cool! They had all of the resources I could dream of to make it, and that was just so neat. I am so, very excited to give that gift because I know it's something they really want and I put a lot of thought into what went on the gift. I can't wait to see their face when they open the gift, even if it was small and costed me basically nothing. Cost and size certainly don't matter. It comes down to the meaning of it.
I love having the ability to make people's gifts. I feel like I'm pretty crafty, and I enjoy crafting very much. It's neat to take a bunch of random things and turn it into something beautiful. I am just very excited about this gift.
I think the most important gifts are those that you put so much thought and love into. A couple of years ago, during the fall Jordan had mentioned he'd always wanted a nice watch but had never gotten one. So that Christmas, I bought him a beautiful silver watch with a white face and all those fancy little things on the face other than just the clock (I guess a timer and the date or something like that). It was so cool because he'd wanted one for a long time but didn't ever buy one himself or anything, so it was so cool to see his surprise and delight in getting something he'd wanted for so long. He wears it very often, and I always get that little tickle inside when I see it on his wrist.
I feel very blessed to have been born in a country where I can freely celebrate Christmas and have the ability to buy and make gifts for the ones I love and help provide for others who can't.
So back to my traditions....
After the gift giving, the adults do one of those gift exchange games where you have 3 rounds and can steal the gifts and all that stuff. This will be the first year of my participation, When I was younger, my cousins (and sister, before she got old! haha) and I would play with our new gifts and play games and do all kinds of fun stuff. I wish I could go back to those days sometimes. I really cherish those memories. I look forward to participating in the gift exchange this year. I remember all the laughs and yells and giggles that always came out of that game in the other room.
When we were little, I'd lay with my cousin in bed until she fell asleep. I remember doing that maybe a year or two after I discovered the truth about Santa. I kept pretending I heard reindeer on the roof so she better go to sleep fast! Then once she fell asleep I went downstairs to discover the adults putting all of the "Santa" presents out. I got to help them, and I thought that was really cool. I got to go through my right of passage, and then I got to help my cousins experience it. Magic.
After Christmas Eve fun at my aunt and uncle's, I always go to my godparents house to spend the night. When we were younger, we always did the whole milk and cookies thing for Santa, and we always put out carrots and celery for the reindeer :)
My brothers and I have always slept in each other's rooms on Christmas Eve. Even last year I slept on the floor in Chris's room (I was just excited he was home from Singapore). We missed Alex as he was in the hospital, but we made the best of the circumstances. Chris is almost always the first one awake on Christmas morning. He always wakes us up, usually either by jumping on us or saying something along the lines of "WAKE UP ITS CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!!!!" (No matter how old he is or how far away he lives, Chris is still a child on Christmas... but aren't we all?). When I was younger, my dad and mom would come over to Nino and Nina's as soon as we woke up and we'd all do gifts together. We always turn on the movie A Christmas Story while we open presents too. It's literally on ALL day on like 3 different channels. What a classic. As we've gotten older, though Brittanie (and Jeff) have had to adjust where they are on what days with the families and with their jobs, and my parents hate waking up early :) So for the past few years we have either done our Christmas after Christmas morning at Nino and Nina's or on Christmas Eve before going to my aunt and uncle's house. It doesn't matter when we do it to me, I just love watching them open up my gifts and getting to spend time together laughing and having fun.
At Nino and Nina's on Christmas morning, the first thing we do is open up our stockings while Nina makes coffee, tea, and/or hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls. Our stockings always have tons of candy and some scratcher tickets! I think the most any of us have ever won is $5. But hey, five bucks is five bucks! Then we take turns opening our gifts, and usually Chris is the one the ends up being Santa and handing them out.
Even though my godparents are like Santa Claus on crack, it is a beautiful thing that they have done for me and for my brothers and sister. They have the ability to buy us great gifts and they love to do so! My dad and mom always find those amazing gifts that you have always wanted but forgot to ever mention you wanted it. I love that. They are all so amazing. They get that magical feeling that I get when giving gifts. But my family, parents, godparents, everyone, is so selfless. They do so much to help others all the time, especially during this time of year, and that is one of the most magical things you can do. I had the privilege of adopting a family during high school with Tiger Broadcast and I was in charge of buying all of the gifts. It was one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things I have ever done, and I look forward to doing it again with the Cross Country team this week.
Here are some photos to keep you entertained...
Many of these are old Christmas Card photos. Also, the adorable little girl (other than me! Ha! Just kidding) is my cousin Carli who is now 6 years old- Yay for magic!
I loved Eeyore
Throw back! Chris, Alex, and Brittanie. Good look, Chris.
Even better, Chris.
I danced at Christmas in the Sky at Longview with Monica's School of Dance for many years. I was a gingerbread man and a few other characters, but I was clearly a candy cane this year.
Not a very good picture of her, but she's wearing a shirt that says "Santa's Little Helper"- too cute!
Throw back!
I miss my baby.
My "money tree" from Jo and Glen last year!
At Comedy City last week!
The downtown Lee's Summit lighting ceremony last week as well.
Columbia College did a lighting ceremony where they lit up the school's Christmas lights and then had a banquet open to the entire community for free.
This is one of the CC houses for Student Support Services or something and it changes color with the music- it's awesome!
Columbia College all lit up!
The lighting ceremony banquet
My tree cookie at the banquet
The lights on my residence hall
I was in charge of doing all of the Christmas decorations at work (Student Affairs office on campus)
I made this wreath!
My winter terrarium decoration in my dorm right now! Jordan and I also made stockings last night that are hanging on my windowsill and an ornament! I'll put pics of these up later when I'm back in my room. I'll also be crafting up some new decorations for my door this week sometime! :) Below is my little tree and one of my Kleenex boxes- I also have a box with a Penguin on it!
I have so many memories of going to see my great grandma and my grandpa in Chilicothe on Christmas day. Those were some good memories (and good food!). For quite a few years now, my godparents have taken my brothers and I on some post-Christmas trips. For a few years we would go down to the Plaza for a couple of nights and stay at the Sheraton. Then, for a few years we went to Lake of the Ozarks. Ah, we always went crazy go-karting there! I remember one time when Chris spun me out into a wall and it was a wall of rotted wood and it just exploded! Good times. Then, in more recent years, we have gone to Branson and Silver Dollar City. We weren't able to do that last year with Chris being here for a short time and Alex being in the hospital, but I am excited to go again this year! It's always been a very fun time and we've always been very blessed with good weather (hopefully this year will be the same!).
This is a photo from one of our trips to Lake of the Ozarks
Here are a couple of photos from Silver Dollar City a few years ago.
Christmas is magical. It really is. It brings us all together in a way that nothing else can. Grudges are forgotten, fighting is put on the back burner, and love is in it's greatest abundance. Sure, there are a few scuffles and problems, but Christmastime is a beautiful, magical time that I cherish so very much.
I feel so very blessed that I get to celebrate Christmas to such an extent. I am so thankful I get to feel that magic every year. I have for 20 years, and hopefully I will for many, many more.
I am now going to go listen to some Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Michael Buble Christmas music and watch Christmas Vacation to come on ABC Family.
Cheers.. Have a holly jolly evening.
LJM
Here are the photos I mentioned before...
And, as you can see below, I am watching Christmas Vacation :)
^In the wise words of Uncle Eddie... BINGO!
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