Christmas Memories

Merry late Christmas, everyone. I'm hoping you all had a nice day and ate all things pumpkin. Now you are probably sitting at your desk at work or home, and feeling semi-sick from overeating or overdrinking, but thinking to yourself, "It's so sad that Christmas is done for this year. How I wish someone would write something up on it, celebrating her favorite things of this time of year."

I'm nothing if not a giver.

I love lists. And I tend to become very reflective at this time of year. Those two things have combined to provide this wonderful accounting of Christmas favorites and unfavorites. OCD meets Christmas meets me putting off doing work.

Favorite holiday movie: A Christmas Story (I triple-dog-dare you not to love this)

Least favorite movie: It's a Wonderful Life (every time a bell rings, I hate this movie even more)

Guilty-pleasure holiday movie: A Very Brady Christmas (so, so bad and I love it so, so much. What were you thinking I'd put, Debbie Does the North Pole?)

Favorite Song: "O Holy Night"

Favorite "non-traditional" song: "Santa Claus is Back in Town" as sung by Mr. Elvis Presley. My favorite line is, "Hang up your pretty stockings, turn out the lights, Santa Claus is comin' down your chimney tonight." I think it might have a double meaning, but I'm not sure.

Least favorite holiday song: "Jingle Bell Rock"

Guilty-pleasure holiday song: "All I Want for Christmas is You" (by Mariah Carey. Good Lord, I'm seeing how pathetic it looks just typing it up.)

Favorite holiday duet: Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing "Little Drummer Boy." The only thing better would have been Robert Smith teaming up with Mandy Moore and singing "Do You Hear What I Hear?" In my opinion.

Favorite family tradition from childhood: We were allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve, and the three of us searched diligently under the tree for a box that sounded like a toy. Sucked if you wasted your Christmas Eve gift on a pair of pants or some other *practical* gift.

Favorite Christmas Carol adaption: While Scrooged almost wins this one, I have to go with the Mickey Mouse version. Goofy as Bob Marley is good stuff. Nothing is better than hearing a ghost say, "Garsh!" I'm a loser.

Red versus burgundy: I'm all about the burgundy decorations.

Colored lights versus clear: I like them both. I like Christmas lights in general, but only in the designated Christmas time period. And if you have those huge, blow-up decorations in your front yard, there is a special place in hell for you.

Favorite ornament on my tree: I love all my Elvis ornaments, but I have a picture ornament from 1983 with a photo of my parents. It receives a place of honor, year after year. Plus, my dad has a beard in it and my mom is totally dressed in her awesome 80s clothes, southeastern Idaho style.

Favorite Christmas dinner food (non-dessert): Turkey. Ohgodsogood.

Favorite dessert: Derh. Pumpkin pie, although I think pumpkin cheesecake is probably edging that out. I have a cheesecake upstairs in my fridge as I type this. I'm having a Homer Simpson moment right now, with my eyes glazed over and my mouth open. Mmmm. . . pumpkin cheesecake.

Least favorite food: Canned cranberry sauce. Ew. Anything you serve that still has the lines from the can frightens me.

Favorite gift from childhood: I could be all about the 80s and say my Cabbage Patch Doll, but I think it's going ot have to be a stuffed animal (that I named Cotton Ball, creative minx that I am) my grandmother gave me. I think I loved it so much because she usually gave me clothing. She was one of those grandmothers.

Weirdest gift: My dad randomly gave me a hammer for Christmas when I was a junior in high school. Just what every 17 year-old girl needs.

Most thoughtful gift: I inherited some crystal figurines from my mother, and a few years ago my dad picked out some more to increase the collection. He was very excited when I opened that gift, since he was the one who also began my mother's collection. It was the cutest thing ever to watch his face when I opened that gift. And to picture him going into the store to get those.

Lamest gift ever: My former sister-in-law gave me three pencils one year. That was it, three pencils. As an added bonus, all day she had been announcing how much money she was now making at her new job. Oh, and the pencils were from her university. Where she had graduated from FOUR years before. She also lived nowhere near this school, so I'm pretty sure that she just found the pencils around her house. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the love from that gift. Got it, Beth, you did not like me. But you did like subtlety.

Ok, that's it for my list. Aren't lists fun?