I am a person that has a horrible time with change. In my world change is bad…bottom line. I get that change is a part of life, but it’s definitely a part that truly scares me. One big area where I find change to be bad is during the holidays. Growing up, Christmas was such a magical time…I loved all of our  family tradtions …I should say love our family traditions because they still are important to me to this day…but sometimes I have to wonder what happened to the way it was? What happened to all the Christmas magic?

As the years go on little pieces of the traditions fall to the way side. I try with all my might to keep it the same…but it’s impossible. Each of my 2 siblings are 3 years apart, and as each of us grow we are forced to change. It started when I went to college, then my sister, then my brother. As we got older we were forced to accept the change. And life goes on. Each year I do my darnedest to keep it the same. I am so happy that The Captain accepts this part of me.

When did the holidays become about doing the “right thing”? When did they become about traveling from one family to the other…and fitting everything in so you can make everyone happy? Is that what being an adult is all about? Did my parents feel this way when I was a child? I feel like I give ALOT in other aspects of my life…but one aspect I will not budge on is Christmas. I will do everything I can to keep the magic alive…and when I have children, I will hope to bring the magic to them.

So this year I struggle to believe in the magic of the season. This year has been a little harder than most. But it helps to be surrounded by the people that  I love…and it helps that my memories make the magic real.

As I write this, I have just sat down after running around like a crazy person getting packed up for my trip to Pennsylvania to be with my family for the holidays. Recently, all my trips out of town have been weekend trips, but since I will be gone from Tuesday-Sunday, with many different types of outfits required, the packing time took a little bit longer.

Holiday packing takes a little more effort than normal. Holiday packing not only includes clothes, it includes all the wrapped presents that I got for my family and husband. I am not sure what will happen once we have children, because just the amount of STUFF that is needed for me, The Captain and Tinkerbell fills up a car!

 I am leaving a day before The Captain, but that doesn’t mean I get out of packing for him. Some may ask why I pack for him…and sometimes I ask myself the same question. I think the answer is that I  pack for him to save him from himself. I think it actually saves me from the headache of dealing with the stuff he FORGOT to pack once we get to our destination. I may regret that I started this trend in the future…I think I already regret it now.. but at least I leave with the knowledge that he will be well overpacked!

So tomorrow me and Tinky jump in the car and begin our holidays a bit early. We have a busy schedule lined up over the next couple of days. Then Wednesday night I get reunited with my Captain Awesome. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband, and I can’t wait to spend our 2nd Christmas as a married couple together. Christmas time 2009 here I come!

I am sure all of you are pretty tired at this point of me telling you how much I love Christmas time, but guess what? You are going to have to hear about it again. Christmas is a holiday that is full of traditions in my house. Some may say that I am stuck in my ways, but each year I insist on doing things the same way. Because when it comes to Christmas change is no good, and I know that it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me if it were done any other way…so I wanted to share with you my Christmas traditions…The traditions that make me such a happy girl this time of year.

1. It all starts with the cutting down of the Christmas tree. A fake tree won’t do. I will admit that I strayed and had a fake tree in my home for a few years, but my parents tree is NEVER fake. Each year our family gets together to go to the Christmas tree farm to cut down the tree. It’s always been a joke that we make my dad hike to the farthest spot to cut down the tree, but these days I feel less and less bad because we have my brother, my husband, and future brother in law to help him with the manly duties of cutting the tree. In my own home The Captain and I have had a real tree for the past 2 years. The reason behind the fake tree for so many years was because I didn’t know of a Christmas tree farm in LI (it’s not like PA), but last year we gave in and bought a pre cut tree. This year we braved the rain and went to a local tree farm (although it wasn’t the best and I wouldn’t go back there). We got a pre cut tree there too though…but I had to give The Captain a break since it was pouring rain and muddy..I didn’t want to make him lay on the ground and chop it down!
2. Decorating the tree. I LOVE decorating the tree! In the past Captain Awesome has been fired from Christmas decorating due to his lack of enthusiam (I’m not sure if that really was punishment to him) but this year I told him it was important to me if he helped so he did…by helping I mean putting up 1 ornament and making us Hot Toddies, but I think providing the alcoholic beverages is a perfect job for him! The bottom line is that we had a nice afternoon together listening to Christmas music and being together..so it was a start of a great tradition for us. I also help to decorate my parents tree after we cut it down. It’s great to put up all the old ornaments. They each have such a special meaning. Their tree is filled with all the ornaments we made as children. I can’t wait to have ones like that up on my tree in the future. My tree at home is starting to have meaningful ornaments such as the “our first home” ones, as well as “Our first Christmas” ones we got after we were married.
3. Christmas Eve. For Christmas we travel to PA. All the years we were dating my husband and I did separate holidays, but once we got engaged my husband made the effort to come with me to PA. I am so thankful he recognizes  the importance of this holiday to me. Christmas Eve we normally go over to a family friends house who has and “open house”, then we go to church, and then we eat a wonderful dinner prepared by my mom. After all that it’s time to open presents (Like a Black Diamond Ring) from the family to each other. Every year we get a game, and every year we play that game into the night! We also all get a pair of new pajamas that are to be worn on Christmas eve. (Can’t stray from the tradition) When we were younger my dad would read “The Night Before Christmas” to us before we went to bed…I hope that when I have children The Captain will continue that tradition. This year I am hoping to find a good signature cocktail to drink! (any suggestions?)
4. Christmas day we still tend to get up early because we are excited to see what Santa has brought (yes I know Im 29). The pocket doors to the living room are closed and we can’t go in until we are all awake! We turn on the Christmas music, open presents and spend the morning watching the parade and “A Christmas Story”. We eat our holiday meal early around 1, and through out the afternoon and into the evening we get visitors!

I am sure there are a ton more traditions that I am forgetting, but the point is that it is such a wonderful holiday! I can’t wait for the day when I get to share the magic with my children, and look forward to years and years of the same traditions!

When I was a little girl I truly believed in Christmas and all the magic that surrounded it. Santa brought the Christmas presents, Reindeer flew, and my Christmas letter flew up the chimney each year for Santa to read. The Captain picks on me to this day for believing in Santa past the third grade…but for me I wouldn’t trade that in for the world. Today, kids grow up too fast and the magic is lost too soon. What’s wrong with believing in magic??

When word around the classroom was that Santa wasn’t real, I started to come home and say things around my little brother and sister. My parents couldn’t have that so they had to spill the beans. To this day they will tell you how hard it was to tell me the truth. I don’t fully remember the details, but I remember my heart breaking. They told me in the best way possible. They read to me the true story of Virginia, an 8 year old girl in 1897 who asked her father if Santa was real. The editorial appeared in the newspaper, and is such wonderful writing that it still is with us today. The editorial was “Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus“ 

Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus

A little piece…

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished

Please take the time to read the whole piece…it is so wonderful and true. When my parents dropped the bomb I cried. But even though they told me that Santa doesn’t deliver the presents, I promise you that I still believe that this season is magical!

That is why I am so happy that Macy’s is hosting a National Believe day on December 11th! TODAY! Also, tonight on CBS is the Yes, Virginia Animated Special! Here’s the full scoop from the  Macys Believe website

Another great thing about this Believe Campaign is that in each Macys store will be Santas Mailboxfor your child to drop their Christmas Letters to Santa! For each letter received, Macys will donate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation!

I personally can’t wait to DVR the “Yes, Virginia” Special……Do You Believe???

 [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggnnSZaab-o[/youtube]

Ok ladies, let’s be honest. We all get excited at the idea of presents from our men around Christmas time. I don’t know about you, but Captain Awesome pretty much sticks to the regular gift giving holidays to give a present, rather than giving random gifts through out the year, and therefore when the holidays come around I look forward to seeing what great ideas he comes up with. But this year I went with something new. There was an item I REALLY, REALLY wanted..and instead of hoping that my hints would work, I decided to do the unthinkable….I told him what I wanted for Christmas. This year, I decided not to keep secrets from Santa!

In the past I have done the “Let’s Surprise Me” thing, as well as the “Here are a few things I want….but really hope that you know what I REALLY want” thing. And guess what?? Surprise….The Captain was in no way shape or form a mind reader…even my subtle hints went right over his head. So I am done with subtle. I am an adult now, and I think it’s time that I just speak my mind. Ok Ok…I may get yelled at for this. Some of you will say…Christmas isn’t about the presents, it’s about God and Jesus, and others will say that I am missing the spirit of the season and that it’s not about gifts. Well you are right. But The Captain will get me a gift no matter what I say, so why not have him spend our money on something I want and will use??

What did I ask for this year??

 An SLR camera so that I can continue my obsession with taking photos of family and friends. Why do I need a heavy duty camera if I am just shooting small potatos, and not proffessionally? Well I want good pictures. I want to be able to take pictures of our Tinkerbell and catch her at the exact moment I want. Same goes for when we have children, I want those first pictures to be perfect. No baby is going to hold for the regular point and shoot cameras…so I’m ready for an upgrade.

So back to the reason for this post. If you are the type of woman who hopes and prays her man “listened” (mistake number 1) to what she wants for the holidays, or the woman who thinks her man knows her well enough to choose exactly what she wants (mistake number 2), I am here to tell you that you may be setting your man up to fail. And why do we want to do that?

So get exactly what you were hoping for this Christmas by whispering a little something into Santa’s ear…I think you will be surprised at how well he listens if you say exactly what you mean!

So what’s on  your wish list this Christmas??

 MERRY CHRISTMAS TO  EVERYONE.

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land

Not a Christian  was praying
Nor taking a stand.
 See the PC Police  had taken away,
 The reason for Christmas – no one could  say.
 The children were told by their schools not to  sing,
 About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and  things.

It might hurt  people’s feelings, the teachers would  say

 December 25th is just a  ‘Holiday’.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and  credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get  it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was  changing, something quite odd!
Retailers  promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes  to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were  hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word  Christmas – was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it  won’t touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive,  Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate  me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton,  Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a  clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And  we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden  to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas  was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season,  stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’

Sipping your Starbucks,  listen to me..
Choose your words carefully, choose what you  say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday !

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you  meet

 MERRY CHRISTMAS
 Christ is The Reason for the  Christ-mas Season!

Christmas Shopping the Easy Way!

If you have any trouble getting into the holiday season mode early…start by walking through the malls come November first…the Decorations come out earlier and earlier every year! Soon you will see mall Santa’s in August! I understand that there are huge Christmas sales that go on around the holidays, but just think how wonderful it would be to get something on sale say during a Labor day sale??? Then just put the gift away!

I ALWAYS laughed at my mom for buying us Christmas presents early. We would be shopping in July and we’d want something and she’d say “I’ll buy it for you, but it’s for Christmas” We’d always roll our eyes and agree…but now fast forward to today, when I only have to shop for immediate family, and I totally get why she did it! Who wants to battle the crowds??? The holidays are supposed to be a happy time…why get miserable spending your weekends getting pushed and shoved in the aisles??

So my answer to you is…think ahead. You are going to be buying the presents anyway! Plus how great is it that you don’t have to spend a lump some of money if you spread out your gift buying. It won’t seem as much of a financial strain! It’s a total win win situation all around!

Buying Christmas presents BEFORE Thanksgiving Works for me. If you want to see what works for others check out Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are That Family!