My Favorite Things

Every year Oprah comes up with a list of her “Favorite Things” so I decided to put my own spin on this idea of a favorite holiday things list.

The Fall/Winter have always been my favorite seasons. The weather cools (well, not much where I live, but still), the coffee shops smell of peppermint, cinnamon, and nutmeg. There are pumpkins in the stores in a myriad of colors and shapes and soon the smell of crisp clean pine will overwhelm my senses.

With these sensations of comfort enveloping me, I am inspired to write my Ten Favorite Things about the season.

10. Pumpkin EVERYTHING! I know, I know, sometimes its overkill and believe me, by January I am all pumpkined out. But when the first wafts of pumpkin bread, warm from the oven, slathered in cinnamon butter reach my olfactory senses, I frankly feel that I am in heaven.

9. Peppermint, lovely, cool, delicious peppermint. I have loved candy canes my entire life, or at least as long as I can remember. I love the red and white stripes, the way, as you enjoy the refreshing goodness, that the bottom of the cane becomes thinner and pointier. I love it in peppermint bark, in my coffee, in cookies. For me, the quintessential treat of the holidays is anything peppermint.

8. Winter accessories. I love hats, scarves, boots, rain boots, coats, big sweaters, I could go on and on. I live in an area with a rather tepid climate. Admittedly, there isn’t that many opportunities to don my lovely, ever growing collection of winter accessories (unless you count the sub zero temperature in my office at work). I am guilty of looking at the 10 forecast and if the weather is in the mid to low 70s that is my cue to pull out the boots! If there is a 10% chance of rain I will definitely be combining an outfit that will definitely include my hot pink Betsey Johnson rain boots (and as soon as I do, I guarantee that the rain will not fall). So every year, I plan at least one trip to go and find the cold. I pack my favorite scarves, my gloves, my colorful coats and I take off to find the winter.

7. The Advent Calendar. I didn’t have an advent calendar growing up. My cues that Christmas was near came from going to mass and seeing that one more advent calendar had been lit. When I had my own family however, my mother made me a beautiful felt advent calendar that had Santa’s sack full of toys that you would pull out one each day and place in the pocket to count the passing days. Years later, when my children were older and finances were not as tight; I purchased a 5-foot advent calendar that we hang in the entrance to our home. The pockets are large enough to fit gift cards, lip balm, and other small items. For the most part it is filled with chocolate but twice a week I put a treat in. Usually a gift card to a local coffee house or eatery or some kind of other little surprise. In the end, I don’t know who enjoys the calendar more, the kids or myself.

6. Baking. I love to bake. It is a catharsis of sorts for me. I pop a holiday movie into the DVD player in my kitchen, I take out my very tired and worn looking cookie recipes, and I spend hours baking away. The whole experience gets my senses firing and nostalgia kicks in. I think of holiday seasons past when the girls were small and I had to wait to put them to bed before the holiday baking could commence. It was a little me time that would culminate in enjoyment for all.

5. Holiday music. I adore holiday music, but after Thanksgiving please! In a world where we seem to be in a hurry to do everything, I say “let’s slow down with the carols!” Retailers have really tried to suck the joy out of the holidays I think. In their attempts to out sell last years record sales, they ruin the spirit of the holidays, at least for me. I hate that in August Halloween Costumes are already out. Don’t even try to look for a Thanksgiving table runner the day after Halloween, you won’t find it. As a matter of fact, you will find NO Thanksgiving décor after October 31^st, even though Thanksgiving is still three plus weeks away. I know I digress, but I am getting to the point. DON’T START PLAYING CHRISTMAS CAROLS ON NOVEMBER 1^st!!! By the time Christmas comes around I don’t want to hear another sleigh bell ring, Bing Crosby croon about snow, or Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr.’s very hot, sultry voices singing to me about good ole St. Nick or Rocking around the Christmas tree! Why you ask? Because in the months leading up to Christmas I have heard every rendition, in every language it was ever made in of White Christmas, Deck the Halls, and Silent Night. Can we please enjoy each holiday as it comes, you know, live in the moment.

4. Holiday parties. Holiday parties play a big part in making this a special season. I have been attending a White Elephant party that a FABULOUS friend of mine that I have been attending for the last 14 years. We do a potluck dinner where we all re-cap the year’s events and then we all participate in a gift exchange. The gift exchange consists of a real gift, a gift card or something valued at $25 or more, as well as the contents of someone’s garage or Goodwill bag. One year there was even a live reptile! It is certainly something I look forward to every year.

3. Christmas Eve dinner. I love Christmas Eve dinner more than Christmas day lunch. In our family it is traditional to eat seafood. We cook shrimp, crab, clams, fish, mussels, well, I could go on and on! We sit around eating everything in sight and enjoying each other’s company. There is always plenty of wine, Christmas music, and laughter. Once we are stuffed, it is time to prepare for Santa.

2. The Night before Christmas. I can’t remember exactly when it started but I think they were really small. It is certainly one of my favorite holiday memories/traditions. After dinner is cleared and all has been cleaned up, we settle in for the night to wait for Santa. My three girls gather in the eldest’s room, in their footie pajamas, mind you, they are 25, 19, and 16, they all sleep in the same bed and they wait for Santa to arrive. I remember one year they were talking about how once they had significant others; they would have to understand that Christmas Eve night would be spent with the three of them in one bed. I guess it will be my responsibility to entertain their other halves.

1.Christmas day. When my girls were young Christmas was magical. They would come into the living room bright and early anxious to see what Santa had left for them. It has always been stockings first while we ate breakfast around the coffee table and then one of the kids would play Santa and pass out the gifts. Most years we never make our way out of our pajamas. We spend the day eating a leisurely meal of roast leg of lamb, watching Christmas movies and basking in familial bliss.

These are my favorite things. I hope that you enjoy the holiday season with the people that make your list of favorite things.