It's the Holiday Season

And to prove it, two poses with Santa. The one below was taken at South Towne Mall. We paid a visit to the Hello Kitty store recently (a sacred pilgrimage) and ran into Santa Claus on the way out. Emma had never had her picture taken with him. I try to ignore Santa mostly, but also don't like being completely unsporting, so we shelled out some bucks for a first-time photo. For what we paid I think he should have worn a hat. But he was awfully nice and clasped Emma's hands so sincerely. She was quite taken by him. She asked me if he was the real Santa and I said "Uhhhhh...no. There are lots of people who pretend to be Santas in different stores." (What was I gonna say? Yes?) Anyway, how could he be the real Santa without a hat.

Plus, when she goes to the ward Christmas party a week later and meets THIS Santa (appropriately attired in full regulation regalia), would she not perceive the difference and realize that one of them is a fake?


So here are 11 things I like about Christmastime, and 4 things I don't:

Pros

1. The Carpenters' Christmas album

2. Collecting Christmas cards and taping them to the wall. I even put up the ugly ones we get from the car dealership and Smedley Financial Services. Also the one we got from Governor Gary Herbert with a picture of him, the missus, and a bunch of grandkids. I think we got it because Joe was a caucus chairman earlier this year. I opened it up, saw the picture and thought, "Who ARE these people?" Anyway, I put it up on the wall. Makes it look like we're personal friends.

3. Little bits of light around the house: Christmas tree...Grandmother's nativity scene with a lightbulb over the manger....Christmas village atop the entertainment center.... I like turning Christmas tree lights on early in the morning when it's still dark and the lights look all furry and blurry.

4. Christmas newsletters. The more details the better.

5. Watching midnight mass (from Rome) late Christmas Eve while wrapping presents.

6. Hanging the wreath on the door. Although our wreath is a little too big for our current front door so I took the glass out of the screen door so the wreath wouldn't get smashed by the main door and now we have a screen door, with nothing in it, tastefully framing our too-big wreath.

7. Chocolate covered cherries. We always got them on Christmas morning, along with bottles of Heinz 57, A-1, and...Worcestershire sauce, I think...in our stockings. Don't know how that tradition got started. Joe always remembers to put a bottle of Heinz 57 in my stocking.

8. Anything sung by Andy Williams.

9. Little spurts of gleeful anticipation that overtake me from time to time. Although I've noticed that the spurts are more plentiful in October-November and kind of taper off the closer we actually get to Christmas.

10. New pajamas on Christmas Eve.

11. Gentle Baby Jesus lullabies.

Cons

1. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bell Rock," or any other kind of "rock-y" Christmas song.

2. Also "The Little Drummer Boy." That's one snoozer of a tune. I used to not like "Do You Hear What I Hear," either, which seems to be of the same ilk. But then Joe and I went to a Utah Symphony Christmas concert once and they had these fabulous Broadway-ish singers (a guy and a gal) who sang a "Do You Hear What I Hear" duet, with full orchestral back-up, and it made my neck hair stand on end it was so good, so I've liked it ever since.

3. Joe doesn't like people asking, "Are you ready for Christmas?" (Although I admit to asking this sometimes. It's safe, like the weather. And sometimes I'm curious to know if someone really is ready for Christmas.)

4. Candy canes. Blech.


Sorry to end on a downer, with the cons and all. Christmas!! Ain't it wunnerful!!

May your race to the finish line be glorious.