Ten on Tuesday

Okay following Michelle's lead, I am going to try to list the ten things I am most looking forward to in the holidays...you will note that most of them have to do with Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year. I just love everything about the true meaning of Christmas.

(1) Hearing the Christmas story. I just love to have someone else read it. I love to read the Bible verses of the story with Hayden and also listen to teh pastor read it. Even listening to it told on the radio is special.

(2) Christmas carols. Truth be told, I listened to a Christmas CD on my way to Mom and Dad's today and then home.

(3) The food --yummmm, my mom's dressing is the BEST ever made. I promise!

(4) Having family together -- we spend lots of time together throughout the year but being together on Christmas is ALWAYS special.

(5) Wrapping gifts and being finished before the middle of December. Yep, it is a game between my sister and me. In fact, she called and left me a mesage last week which went something like..."I bought a Christmas present tonight so....it's on!!"

(6) Watching Hayden open gifts -- it does not matter what the gift is. He loves opening and is always so gracious. Mommaw told him the other day she was going to get him clothes (oh my) and he said that is okay Mommaw, I will like them and they will be cool.

(7) Decorating the trees - yep I said trees. We have the one in the den that Santa leaves gifts under and then we have a silver one for the front living room. It is small but reminds me so much of Christmases past and my grandparents. I LOVE LOVE watching Hayden decorate this tree. For the last three or so years, this has been his tree and he gets to decorate it any way he wants. Usually the ornaments are all bunched together and it is a little bit hard for me to handle that but it is HIS tree and our memories so it is okay!!

(8) No school for a long period of time - there is just nothing like no worrying about cards, homework, reading ... we get two weeks of blissful time of not having to talk about whether "we" pulled a card at school.

(9) A fire in the fireplace -- around the holidays is when we start having fires in the fireplace. Hayden loves to meet me at the door when I get home from work to tell me "he" started me a fire. :-)

(10) Christmas Eve services -- we love these. I love the carols, the Bible verses and seeing so many families together!!

I hope you all have special family moments and togetherness during the holidays too!!