Christmas favorites!

Yay for the Christmas season now officially on! Ok, in our house we've been silently celebrating since before Thanksgiving, but now I can rejoice openly. :) I LOVE the Christmas season (well most of it anyway). I don't particularly love the rush of the shopping crowds or the greediness of some, but I love the warm fuzzies I get when I think about being with family and friends, baking up a storm, doing service, and of course the birth of the Savior. This December is quite different from other years for me, given the fact that I don't move around much anymore. It's actually been a great blessing to HAVE to slow down and really think about stuff. So while there can be some negatives to the holiday season, I just wanted to share a few of my favorites around this time of year.

1. Family traditions- LOVE them! My family is big on Christmas traditions and 2 of my favorites are the Christmas Eve feast and slumber party. Our main meal doesn't come on Christmas day...we do a HUGE buffet on Christmas Eve night featuring a favorite food from each of the family members. It is a pretty random menu consisting of pizza, homemade chicken nuggets, lettuce wraps, chips and dip, and sparkling cider- just to name a few. We stuff ourselves silly and enjoy every minute of it!
When we were younger every year on Christmas Eve after the meal was through, all of my siblings and I would have a big slumber party, sleeping in the same room together laughing our faces off reminiscing about the stupid stuff we had done over the years. Such a blast, and a tradition I definitely want to keep in our family.

2. Christmas music- Do I love the Chipmunk carols, or the unfortunate cover songs from boy bands? Not so much...I did however grow up on Manheim Steamroller, which we would decorate the Christmas tree to each year. While some may mock the synthesizer cheesiness ( I know, it is pretty cheesy) it still puts me in the Christmas mood and reminds me of my mom.

3.The lights- I love the soft glow of Christmas lights at night, and one of my favorite holiday activities is to drive around town looking at different lit up houses. It just makes me happy.

4. The baking- I know that with every goodie plate we receive, most of us think about how much those calories will add to our hips or thighs, but I love baking for Christmas and sending plates of deliciousness off to people. In my opinion, every goodie plate is a plate of love given to someone to let them know they have been thought of.

5. The service- Christmas brings out the charity and service in people; I love that. We go through lots of bad junk in life, but around this time, even in the worst circumstances, people are willing to serve and to be served.

6. The birth of the Savior- while I have listed a bunch of silly stuff, I never forget what the true meaning of Christmas is. I have SO much to be thankful for this year, including my belief in Jesus Christ.

Do you have Christmas favorites or traditions?!

Merry Christmas everyone! :)