Christmas

    Everything about Christmas is so great.  The actual birth of an amazingly important baby; safe and sound, alive and well.  A message of love and compassion,  taking care of your fellow man.  Every tradition and family ritual associated with Christmas is awesome.  Trimming the tree is one of the most exciting, warm, happy, familial moments in life.  All the decorations that have been carefully packed away all year resurface and greet you like old friends themselves.

   
    You must bake 3 or 4 different kinds of Christmas cookies.

You only see these cookies once a year too so don't leave out any old favorites. I have a fairly new favorite from a Paula Dean christmas magazine a few years back.  They are peppermint and chocolate pinwheel cookies and they are delish.

I also like to dump 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes into brownie mix and sprinkle another 1/4 - 1/3 cup on top right when they come out.  So easy, so tasty, so festive.

  I like to heat up some red wine with mulling spices and some honey.  It's funny that I only do this at Christmas time.  It's so warming amd satisfying I should really make it all winter.   Also hot apple cider with mulling spices and manderine slices for the kids.

Eggnog is also fun.  I just buy it already made although some people have some pretty amazing family recipes.  I like to put the bottle of Captain Morgans out and let people spike their own. Also put the nutmeg bottle on the table ( who doesn't have a new fondness for nutmeg after John Legend's song on the Colbert Christmas special?) 
    I decided to forgo the flashing light earrings and antler headband for some Christmas red nail polish and a holly twig (deftly pilfered from the park) pinned to my hair.

The cement (rein)deer wore the traditional Santa hats.

    Christmas movies!  Anything from Holiday Inn (Fred Astaire/Bing Crosby)[kind of better than White Christmas] to Scrooged (Bill Murray) or the timeless classic A Christmas Story. I think my all time sentimental favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas.  It was a thing with my mom and I.  Some lesser known greats: The Bishops Wife; Carey Grant is very sweet.  Alistair Sims is easily the best Scrooge (Buddy Hackett a close second).  I include both Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare Before Christmas but disregard that one with Arnold Schwarzeneggar when he had to fight an old lady to get his kid the toy of the moment on Christmas Eve.  I think T2 was more heartwarming.  Anyway, the winner is 'It"s a Wonderful Life'.  Again.

 I also love just singing Christmas carols in the car at night while driving around shopping with the whole family bundled up, tired and hungry.   Good times...
    Christmas is the best.  All happiness and joy.  Strangers seem like friends, family seem like angels, angels seem like they're in the room.
Celebrate your hearts out.  Be happy.  Spread the joy!!!!!

yes, these are possible