aLoserEffort: Christmas Time

I can't help it...I love Christmas. I think part of it is just that I have really good memories of Christmases throughout my childhood. Traditions are big in my family. Starting on Thanksgiving, with Miracle on 34th Street and ending on Christmas Eve with White Christmas, my family probably watches a Christmas movie every single night. Of course they save the best for when I come home, like It's a Wonderful Life and Muppets' Christmas Carol. We always do one present on Christmas Eve, which is always pajamas. Then my older sister and younger brother get up before dawn to gaze at the Christmas tree in all its glory and start the coffee and tea for the old people (aka those of us who loathe early mornings, even on Christmas...so me and my parents). They wake me first so we can have some sibling bonding time before the parents are up. After that, the goal every year is to frighten my parents awake. I think we've managed to actually scare them once in our lives. Maybe. They are usually awake before we even think of waking them.

Since I'm the only one not living in the same town as the rest of my family (not even the same state actually), it can be a little harder these days to keep the Christmas spirit alive. I'm sure some people must think I'm nuts for Christmas, but I try to keep it in perspective by telling them that I'm the grinch in my family. But I always get a tree. I don't hold to the steadfast rule, mandated by my sister, that only Christmas music in allowed from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. But I do like to listen to Bing more often then not during this season. This year, my fella and I made our own advent calendar. It's not perfect but it was fun to make and more fun to open the boxes every other day (we alternate days so we don't have to have a calendar for each of us) and see what he's put inside.