My Christmas Favorites

     Christmas is the season to celebrate the birth of a savior, Jesus Christ. Second to that, it is also a season of love and joy in which we set aside everything else and draw close to our family and friends. We show how much they mean to us by giving them gifts from the heart without expecting anything in return, but express thankfulness when we do receive something in return. To prepare for such an epic celebration, there must be some essentials right? Absolutely!

 

     One of my absolute favorite Christmas songs is New York Christmas by Rob Thomas. It reminds me of my time in NY and makes me miss the big city lights, the tree in Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and so much more. And Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, And you pretty much have to have a movie lined up for every day in December up until Christmas Day. I won’t list 25 movies, but I have some favorites that must be watched. Christmas Vacation, Ernest Saves Christmas, Elf, Christmas in Conway, Home Alone 1 & 2, Jingle All The Way, Deck The Halls, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Carol (Muppet and Jim Carey versions) are just a handful of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of dark chocolate. So I’m on the look out for dark chocolate peppermint bark, Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha Frappuchino drink, and Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles when December rolls around. I don’t do fake Christmas trees. On Thanksgiving morning, after watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade like all fun and happy people do, I drive to the tree farm and pick out the perfect Christmas tree to bring home, light up, and decorate with unique, sentimental ornaments. Ya gotta have candy canes. For me, a good beard is in order. At some point, you must wear a Santa hat. If you don’t put up Christmas lights, you’re a Scrooge. A family Christmas dinner is very important. A white Christmas is rare, but its the cherry on top of a perfect Christmas. And never ever forget to remember and celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. So there you have it – a recipe for a pretty amazing Christmas season. Anything less would be sub-par, in my opinion, and that would make you a pretty lame person, ha ha. 🙂 Merry Christmas!

What Does A Christmas Tree Mean?

What does a Christmas tree mean? In response to my defense of the true reason for the season, people keep telling me that Christmas was originally a pagan holiday from which Christians stole traditions, such as trees and lights, to incorporate into our own holiday designed to replace the prior celebration. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus who came to save us. It is our day for Him. But a day is a day, and anyone else is certainly free to to hold their own celebration on December 25th. But what about those “stolen” traditions.

Here’s the way I see it. Every year, I go to the tree farm in search of a Christmas tree. I take my mom with me to help me  find the perfect tree. I bring it home and set it up right in front of the big window in the living room. I look at my tree and admire God’s beautiful work with a thankful heart. Then I put bright, colorful lights on it to grab your  attention and highlight the ornaments.  Ah, and the ornaments are the best part. Each one is unique with a special meaning. First to go is my first Christmas ornament. Then I have all sorts of ornaments with all sorts of meanings. I have ornaments that commemorate specific dates and events, ornaments that symbolize the things I love to do, ornaments for family, ornaments for my pets, and gift ornaments. I also have ornaments that memorialize those I’ve lost, particularly for this year are my aunt Madge and my unborn child, Morgan. Most importantly, I have an ornament for Jesus. Then, of course, ya gotta have some snowflakes, snowmen,  candy canes, reindeer, and Santa in there. I also include random ornaments from years past. And a Christmas tree wouldn’t be complete without an angel or a star on top.

See, I’m not into having a tree that has a color theme with six boxes of matches balls and clear lights. They are pretty, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I just love having the symbol that stands in front of my window. It’s a gift from God. It’s my life. It grows each year with me. Each branch is a moment holding a memory, lit with Jesus’ light of love,  and it all points to Him in Heaven to remind me of the amazing gift of saving grace He gave me. And that is what Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas!!