now that Thanksgiving is over…

…I can start celebrating the Christmas season. (You’ll notice that I always say Christmas instead of “the holidays” because I celebrate Christmas.)

We have been in Dallas and North Louisiana since Tuesday (hence my lack of posts) and we head back to South Carolina today. I plan to spend the day tomorrow putting up our Christmas tree and dancing around the house to my favorite Christmas sounds including, but not limited to, Amy Grant’s “A Christmas Album”– the one with Tennessee Christmas on it and Point of Grace’s Christmas album.

We will watch Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and It’s A Wonderful Life tomorrow. Throughout the month of December, we’ll also be sure to watch Family Man, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and White Christmas.

We’ll snack on fudge and sausage balls. We’ll drink Egg Nog Lattes and Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks.

We’re doing Christmas a little bit different this year, and we’re all (my parents, my brother, Todd’s parents, Todd’s grandmother, Hudson, Todd, and I) going to spend the week of Christmas in the mountains in Tennessee. We decided to not have everyone exchange gifts– even though we’re pretty sure everyone will still get stuff for Hudson– and just focus on spending the week together and put our money toward the house we rented. Todd and I will swap a few gifts, though, and I have picked up a couple of stocking stuffers for the crowd. Santa isn’t going to forget about us completely. So the little bit of Christmas shopping that I had to do is finished!

I plan to spend the next month getting through the Junior League Holiday Market, celebrating with friends, attending a couple of Christmas parties, seeing the Rockettes, and relaxing until our fun-filled family trip to Tennessee comes around!

And while attending the fun parties, eating the great food, listening to the music and appreciating the decorations, I plan to praise my Lord for the precious gift of His son that he gave us so many years ago.

But the most important thing to me is savoring the season. I always resist celebrating too early because I don’t want to get tired of hearing the music and seeing the Christmas decorations. Now that it’s hear I just want to soak it all in. Because it will be January 2 before we know it, and it will officially be time to focus on the new year and another season. Life will speed up and Christmas will seem a world away. I’m thrilled to be able toΒ see this year’s Christmas through my little boy’s eyes– his very first Christmas.

What are your favorite December traditions? What movies do you and your loved ones watch? What is your favorite Christmas CD?

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Comments

  1. Melissa N. says

    We’ve already watched Home Alone 1+2 and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation πŸ™‚ My other go-to movies are All I Want for Christmas and the Family Stone. Yep, I watch a sad movie and cry, but it makes me remember how much I love my family. πŸ™‚

    I’ve logged all my Christmas CD’s on the iPod and one of my all time favorites is going to make anyone cringe and laugh, but I love the Nsync Christmas CD. It’s happy, upbeat and my husband deals with it nicely. *lol*

  2. says

    That Amy Grant album is my absolute Christmas favorite! Sounds like y’all have a wonderful Christmas celebration lined up for this year… I’m so excited it’s finally time to say “Merry Christmas” and (publicly admit to) playing Christmas tunes!

  3. says

    That sounds like the perfect way to spend Christmas and I say “Christmas” too. Even at the office.

    We are going to limit gifts as well and just focus on our first year as a married couple with our family.

    I love Amy Grant’s CD, Classics like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and I’m still partial to Mariah Carey’s CD.

  4. says

    Must watch movies include (but are not limited to…) Elf, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and I throw in the Holiday. Some of my favorite Christmas CDs would be Celine Dion’s, Josh Groban’s, and a CD not many have heard about, but it is Chris Rice’s Living Room Sessions. It is FABULOUS! Perfect for a holiday party because it is all on the piano. Merry merry!

  5. Jillian says

    Merry Christmas! My family always watches “Miracle on 34th Street” on Thanksgiving night. On Christmas Eve we do Feliz Navidad and have mexican food, watch “Christmas Eve on Sesame Street” and go to Christmas Eve service at church…..My favorite Christmas cd is Kathy Mattea and fav song is “Mary Did You Know”. From December 26 through New Years Day the whole family meets at the beach house in South Carolina for a week of family fun, food, board games, golf, and counting our blessings……..We only do gifts for the children which alleviates the stress of looking for that “perfect gift” for adults.

  6. Amanda says

    The Family Man is my all time favorite movie, next to Father of the Bride of course!! I could watch it over and over!! Christmas in Tennessee sounds so nice!

  7. says

    Amy Grant’s Christmas Album is my favorite!

    It sounds like Hudson is going to have a magical first Christmas. I love the plans that you have!

    I’m a sucker for everything Christmas, especially music and movies.

    This December is going to be packed full of work and play. I should have fully celebrated by the time it’s over, lol!

  8. says

    We already watched Home Alone & Christmas with the Kranks! Next up should be Home Alone 2, It’s A Wonderful Life, While You Were Sleeping, and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown! Another favorite Christmas movie is the Preacher’s Wife. I love this time of year!

    My favorite Christmas CD is by Michael Buble!

  9. Anna says

    Loved this post! I’m the same way when it comes to not burning myself out on Christmas before the Christmas season, had to avoid several radio stations for the last couple of weeks.

    My favorite Christmas albums are Charlie Brown Christmas, Bells of Dublin Christmas, and Josh Groban’s Christmas Album. For some reason I like the sounds of Christmas to be mostly instrumental, or classical Christmas hymns. Movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, and I saw a snippet of a Christmas movie with Judy Garland that I’m dying to see, just need to figure out the title and find it.

    Erin, I just got your email today and will be responding… sorry for the delay. Your plans sound magical!

  10. says

    I”m looking forward to staring a new tradition with my fiance, tonight we are going to Zoo Lights in Lincoln Park Zoo & getting a Christmas tree. My favorite Christmas album is Mariah Carey’s. We might watch Home Alone tonight, but my favorite movies are a Christmas Story, The Grinch, and Charlie Brown Christmas.

  11. says

    I put up all my Christmas stuff last weekend (wanted to do it before we went out of town) and we have watched Home Alone and Christmas Vacation already. I can’t wait to watch Miracle on 34th Street, Family Man, Elf, and so many others! Such a fun time of the year! Glad you guys made it home safe and sound!

  12. says

    Y’all are going to have so much fun going out of town for Christmas! My family did that one year and it was so much fun and so much less stressful!

    I love watching The Family Man, Miracle on 34th Street, and The Holiday. My favorite Christmas CD’s are the ones that Martha Stewart did a few years ago. There is a jazz CD, a classical CD, and a CD with traditional Christmas songs.

    I hope you all have a great weekend!

  13. says

    You guys are going to have so much fun doing Christmas up in Tennessee! How cool that you are all going to be together!!

    I too love the Christmas season! Our family always made sure to read the Bible Christmas story and The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve and we always sang Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas morning before we could open gifts. I love these traditions and can’t wait to do these with my family one day!!

  14. says

    Sounds ie a great Christmas celebration to me… if you’re in the Smokies all week, go to Dollywood– so much fun during Christmas! And as for me, my favorite holiday movies are “Love Actually” and “The Holiday”… such good girly classics!! And by far, the best Christmas CD to me is by Harry Connick Jr- LOVE his voice!!

  15. Caroline says

    Love Actually is a must – only to be watched after Thanksgiving. Whitney and Mariah Carey also have some great classic Christmas tunes!!!

  16. says

    We just returned from a weekend in a cabin with my parents, brother, my in-laws, and our dogs and it was a fabulous way to spend a holiday. I am sure you will have a great time doing a similar thing for Christmas!

  17. says

    You know I live in the mountains of Tennessee? Or technically I live in the foothills, I suppose.

    This makes me sound like I am a hundred years old, but I love the Percy Faith Orcchestra’s Christmas album. And, like so many others, Love Actually and a Charlie Brown Christmas (another great album), make me feel all Christmassy.

  18. says

    The Point of Grace Christmas CD’s is one of my all time favorites. Can’t wait to dust it off and bring it out this season!

    One of my favorite Christmas traditions is getting a new ornament from grandmother each year. I have 26 on our tree, and I can’t wait to add a 27th this year!

  19. Catherine says

    Love Actually while wrapping presents. Lights at the Zoo. Special friends who always come over Christmas Eve Eve. And we do “Santa kisses” When Santa comes to the house to deliver presents, he will always give you a goodnight kiss. But how do you know Santa kissed you last night? He left a little smudge of soot on your cheek.

    See you this week at the Cantey building. πŸ™‚

  20. says

    I love Christmas! Movies: Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone and this year we saw 4 Christmases. Since my mom passed away, I have kept her traditions going, and I put out her collection of angels, and make some of her Christmas goodies. Every Christmas Eve we read from the bible, and tell Caroline the Christmas story.

  21. says

    I love Christmas! And it sounds like you guys will have a really great time! I would love to do something like that, but it would be difficult with our families right now. Maybe one day! πŸ™‚

  22. says

    That sounds like a perfect Christmas. πŸ™‚

    This doesn’t really qualify as a Christmas movie, but, we always watched it while baking Christmas goodies: Little Women. I haven’t been able to watch it since my mom died (6 yrs), but, who knows, maybe this year I’ll get brave.

    I don’t think I have a favorite Christmas album–not good! I love all Christmas music for the most part.

    We’ll be out of town for Christmas, so, I need to get started on decorating ASAP so that we can enjoy it while we’re here!

  23. says

    I’m living vicariously through you. We did put up stockings yesterday. Does that count? Maybe next year you could help me with a tree? We literally have 2 ornaments. I have no idea what to buy or where to buy them, but like you, I love vibrant, bold colors.

    And I don’t know why but I LOVE Christmas Vacation.

    “Surprised? Eddy I wouldn’t be more surprised if I woke up with my head stapled to the carpet.”

    Gets me. EVERY. DANG. TIME!!!

  24. says

    I love Christmas music! I started listening to it the day after Thanksgiving. I added “Jewel Holiday” (a great Christmas c.d. – especially if you like Amy Grant) to my Pandora i-pod app as well as “Dean Martin Holiday” and have been loving listening to these stations the past few days.

  25. says

    oooo I should get Point of Grace’s Christmas album…love them. I have already watched Home Alone and White Christmas this season—excellent pics! One of my favorite albums is actually Christina Aguilera “My Kind of Christmas”….I listened to it every year in college while studying for finals, so it’s very familiar.

  26. says

    I can’t believe I forgot–I always watch Love Actually and Elf while wrapping gifts. And one of my OTHER favorite Christmas albums is Jewel!! So good.

  27. says

    I told Mr. A not to put the tree in storage last year because we’d never get it out. And guess where it is? In storage. I don’t think we’re going to bother this year. We suck.

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