These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things (reprise)...

Hello again...

I'm heading home to Iowa today to spend Christmas with the folks. As I was killing time waiting for Lauren to get off of work, I thought that I should re-post my blog from last year that spoke of my favorite memories of Christmas. Here's hoping you and yours have a very Merry Christmas...

The feeling of excitement when the first load of firewood arrives at the house (although I always put up a fuss when Dad asks me to help unload it!)...

Grinning like a Cheshire cat when the first fire is lit in the woodburning stove...

Shopping for the perfect Douglas Fir or Scotch Pine with Dad at Mr. Homegrown...

Mom bitching when we bring the tree inside because we're getting needles all over the carpet... (Mom, the carpet is green... it'll blend in!)

Excavating beneath the stairs to retrieve all of the Christmas decorations...

Mom and I spending a Saturday afternoon turning the house into a Norman Rockwell painting...(I still don't understand why we can't leave the decorations up all year... they look so pretty!)

Waiting with baited breath for Dad to return home from deer hunting in Clermont so we can decorate the tree...

Decorating the tree to the strains of Gene Autry singing all our Christmas favorites...

Dad cussing the tangled extension cords as he wrestles with the bubble lights...

Mom grinning from ear-to-ear as each one of my "baby" ornaments is found and hung...(Who says Mom's not a packrat?!?)

Dad smiling bigger than I've ever seen when the ornament with the picture of Grace and Len is found...

Feeling the lump in my throat, the tears in my eyes and the pride in my heart as I get to hang my sister Brandi's ornament at the top of the tree...(Forever my guardian angel...)

Watching our current dog (Rex, Brandy, Frannie and now Delsie) help Dad and I hang the tinsel on the tree...

Seeing the space below the tree grow smaller and smaller as more and more gifts are placed there...

Gathering as many family members as possible to spend the night on Christmas Eve...

Dad's Prime Rib for Christmas Eve dinner...

Christmas carols by the fire...

B&B, coffee and RumpleMintz in chocolate shot glasses as we wait for Santa...(a new tradition, but a favorite nonetheless)

Christmas morning hangovers!

Racing to the banister to see what Santa left in my stocking...

Heading downstairs with coffee in hand (hangover!) to see what Santa brought me...

Watching Allyson and Dylan pass out the gifts and remembering when it used to be MY job...

Noticing that as I get older, my gifts get fewer... (Or do they?)

Dad's famous Christmas morning breakfast and then a NAP!!

Heading to Durant for the Thoma/Hansen family gathering...

Stopping off at ITC (now the Checkered Flag) to make the next day's pizza dough...

Arriving first at Grandma Chrystol's no matter WHEN we leave our house...

Getting more and more excited as each family member arrives...

Grandma Chrystol in her red sweater with the Christmas lights on it...

Stuffing myself with Grandma's Christmas cookies...(None will EVER be better than hers!)

Passing out the gifts in Grandma's black and white checkerboard tiled basement...(Sadly, never to happen again... sigh...)

Returning home to unwind by the tree, watching the lights glow and smiling because I realize how lucky I truly am to have such a wonderful family...

I hope you all enjoyed my trip down memory lane... I know I did.

One more note before I sign off... No matter how much the inconsiderate jerk who's in front of you at the store may upset you, or how much the stupid drivers may tee you off, don't succumb to holiday rage. Remember the spirit of this holiday... and no matter how much the media and corporate America may want to "commercialize" Christmas.. they can't change the spelling! Christmas is, was and always will be a birthday party for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season, and I, for one, will NEVER forget that. I pray that you don't either.

Adios!