1- The tree must be up and decorated.
I love my faux, pre-lit Christmas tree. I know, a real tree smells so festive and there is something nature loving and old fashioned about the real thing, but for someone as OCD as me, the perfect symmetry, exact light placement, and absence of falling pine needles all over my just vacuumed floor trumps the authenticity of a real tree. I burn my pine scented candle to create that real tree smell I crave at Christmas. Ahh, modern conveniences!
2- The house must be adorned with Christmas lights.
My favorite decorations at Christmas are lights. Mike doesn't love them like I do, but he is always so good (and brave) to climb way up on that wobbly ladder and hang them for me. I just get giddy with happiness when we plug in our Christmas lights for the first time. Simple white lights are my favorite, but colors are fun too. I love driving around town or looking out my front window and seeing twinkly little delights everywhere.
3- Christmas music must be playing on the I-pod and car radio.
I think it's a sin to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but once that turkey has been stripped of it's meat and the last little bit of mashed potatoes are stored in Tupperware, the Christmas music can flow freely. There are old standbys: Carpenters, Barbara Streisand, Nat King Cole, and then lots of great new stuff too. Have you heard O Little Town of Bethlehem by Sarah McLachlan or my favorite Christmas song of all time, Still, Still, Still by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? These are soft and quiet songs, but for fun, I throw on some Harry Connick Jr. or Michael Buble.
4- I must attend the annual Messiah Sing-In at Abravanel Hall.
For about 13 or so years, members of my family and I have been attending this Utah Symphony event. It's a firm Christmas tradition now. There have been a few years that we haven't been able to attend and Christmas just didn't seem quite right those years. I love going to this sing-in. The music is...well, I'm not good enough with words! Handel was an inspired genius! Each year I get a little better at singing the choral pieces.
The best thing about going to the sing-in is that it gets me into the frame of mind I like to be for this holiday. After all, Christmas is all about celebrating Christ and his birth. With so much commercial hub-bub everywhere, I like to start out thinking about him. Thanks Handel! (and Uncle Paul for getting the tickets).
Let the Christmas season begin!
9 comments:
I see that you love Christmas as much as I do! I am so excited for this all year long! We do have to get a real tree though. I gladly vacuum up the pine needles! The Carpenter's music is a must, the choir is a must and we are finally doing lights for the first time ever! I am so excited!
I have to admit that I keep looking at my real tree with a slight urge to trim it into symmetry. Your decor is fabulous, as always. My favorite song on that Sarah McLachlan album is What Child is This? Try singing the traditional melody at the same time she is singing her version...
Those are all great signs of Christmas, or are they? Jonathan when he saw my tree said, "Is it Halloween today?" He's got me a little confused.
Those are all a MUST!! (Well except that in order to listen to all my Christmas music...I have to start right after Halloween.)
Pre-Lit trees...make Christmas true forever. So much stress and swearing are avoided with the absence of light wrapping.
I love white lights on homes. And I long so fervently for some on mine. But if your 1970's circus needs some lights....we're all over that one!
Have fun at the sing-in! How fun! I got to sing the Messiah in college a couple times, and it is such an amazing experience!
I love it all! I can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks.
The Christmas season happened way to fast this year. My back went out the day after Thanksgiving so all my decorations aren't put out the way they need to be for this Christmas to officially begin. Spencer very carefully hand-shaped half my tree and strung the lights on each branch (we bought our tree before they had pre-lit ones. It's still such a great tree I hate to get rid of it) before he took off for his last weeks of college. Thus, I have half a tree standing (this I know would absolutely drive you crazy) We are enjoying Benson's marvelous job with the house lights though. We are booked every night this week with holiday festivities. Let the the fun begin!!!
Jill - you obviously haven't EVER sat by me at the sing-in, or you'd kick that tradition to the curb in order to save yourself from my personal interpretation of Handel. If there ever was an event to remind you of your total inability to sing - it's the Messiah sing in. And you know what? I don't care - I love it too & I'm glad the Stauffer fam introduced me to it!
But we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
We need a little Christmas now.
Amen, Sistah.
I'm ashamed to have missed the sing-in this year--but I'll be back for 2009!
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