Stacey tagged me for this fun idea wherein I have to share 12 random things about myself that are Christmas related. Here are the rules of Christmas Hoopla:
1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas.
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm' (meme) -word
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.
So, here's Kimmy's Christmas Hoopla!!
1. Christmas is my favorite time of year. For starters, it happens to occur in my favorite season . . . winter! I could not imagine celebrating Christmas in summer, spring or fall. It's a good thing I live somewhere in which snow and cold weather is inevitable at Christmastime!
2. Speaking of snow, I love it. My perfect Christmas weather wise is waking up to a hoarfrost covered yard, followed by mildly cold temperatures, and big, fluffy snowflakes falling gently to the ground. Yes, picture-postcard perfect. But it
has happened before and I'm hoping for it again this year. For those of you unable to experience the beauty of hoar-frost, it's absolutely breathtaking. When we're fortunate enough to enjoy hoarfrost, I tell my boys that God took a white paintbrush and painted everything a startling white overnight. This morning I woke up to a glorious display of hoar frost. I was feeling so blessed as I drove to work because I got to view God's creation in "winter white".
3. On our Christmas-tree decorating evening, a snack tradition has formed without me even intending it to. For as long as Wayne and I have been married, I've made a caramel popcorn snack using Popcorn Twists instead of traditional popcorn for the main ingredient. My boys love this stuff, and each year when we plan our decorating day, they always make sure that we've got all the ingredients on hand in order to make the special caramel popcorn.
4. When it comes to the tree, I'm kind of picky with the decorating. I don't think the boys have figured this out yet, but after they go to bed on the night that we've set up the tree, I reorganize the decorations so that they're more evenly distributed.
5. I'm not into decorating in the traditional Christmas colors of red and green. In fact, I really don't have an appreciation for bright red in a decorating scheme. A deep purple-red or burgundy is more to my liking, although most of my decorating is done in white, silver and gold, together with natural colors that originated in the great outdoors (like a green evergreen).
6. Sometimes I turn off all the lights in the house except for the lights on the tree and indoor mini-lights and just sit and watch them, reflecting on my day and relaxing.
7. I don't care what or how many Christmas gifts I get. I just love giving them. Usually around the beginning of November I compile a list of everyone's "wishes" and attempt to make our purchases over time rather than in all one shopping trip. Every year I tell myself that I'm going to start my shopping earlier (i.e. August or September), but it hasn't happened yet!
8. Speaking of gifts, from the time I was about 4 years old until the age of 17, I was really sneaky about figuring out what was under all the wrapping paper. Actually, I was a really bad child and I'd wait for a time when my parents were either outside or gone from the house altogether, open enough of each present to find out what it was, re-tape the wrapping paper and wait for Christmas morning. Honestly, I did this until I was 17 years old! And guess when I had the most enjoyable Christmas? When I was 18. That was the first year I actually had a surprising Christmas. I didn't have a clue about any gifts, and let me tell you, it was a whole lot more fun that way. Never again will I try to get a sneak peak at my gifts!
9. I've sang in several Christmas productions in my church growing up and at Bible college. My all-time favorite production was performed when I was in grade 12. Our church choir, consisting of approximately 35 - 40 people put on a cantata. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it . . . but it was something like "A Wonderful . . . something". It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. My best friend in high school,
Carol, made a taped copy of the piano accompaniment for me my first year away from home. I was at Bible college at the time, and I'd sit in my room with my songbook and sing along to her piano music. It was awesome.
10. When I was growing up, I believed in Santa Claus. It didn't damage me for life to believe in something make-believe, so when I became a mom I didn't see the harm in carrying on with the fantasy. Especially since my boys have such vivid imaginations. However, last week I broke it to them that Santa Claus isn't real. Mitchell had already begun to put two-and-two together about it, but Ty hadn't begun to question his existence just yet. I know there are many Christian parents who don't allow their children to entertain the thought of Santa, and that's fine. They may have a point. Last week I was reading on someone's blog about how they'd heard of Christian kids struggling with the existence of God as a result of the Santa Claus lie. I certainly didn't want my boys sharing in the struggle, which is why I decided to break the news to them. I started by sharing with them about St. Nicholas, a true person from which the Santa Claus tale originated. And when I told them the truth, they both took it well and have assured me that they still believe in God and aren't mad at Wayne and I for lying to them. Actually, they both still want to imagine that Santa exists and I told them that was fine with me. I kind of like playing along with that pretend game too.
11. I love sending out and receiving Christmas cards. As sad as this may be, some of the only contact I have with friends of the past is via Christmas cards and Christmas letters. I love reading Christmas letters from friends of old (and new ones too). I know they're usually filled with all the good and positive from the past year, and apparently some people have a major problem with that, but I happen to like it. This year I delivered almost 100 Christmas greetings around the globe (well, mostly in Canada).
12. I love collecting angels and I'd love to collect nativity scenes. I have one larger nativity scene (actually it's more medium-sized when I compare it to some others I've seen out there), one extremely mini nativity scene, and one paper-cut-out nativity scene that kind of folds out and stands on it's own. My grandma gave it to me when I was about 4 years old, and I've kept it ever since, mostly as a memory of her.
13. Can I please add one more? Of course, Christmas is extremely important to me in my walk of faith. Without Christmas, we'd have no Easter. Christmas is HOPE.
My hoopla is over. Now I've got to tag some friends. Kristy, Karla, Carol, Amy, Michelle and Mel . . . you're it!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
