These are a few of my favorite things! Traditions

There are so many things I love about Christmas.  I love the smell of pine, fresh cut trees and garland.  I am allergic to real trees, but I still love the smell.

I love listening to Christmas music from the moment it comes on the radio until it's no longer played, I listen to it.

I can't go without watching some Christmas classics like The Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas, Rudolph, Frosty, The Santa Clause and Prep and Landing, it is so tinsel!!!

Decorating the inside and outside of the house, new Christmas pj's, and reading books like these

I laugh hysterically at this one!

Making Christmas cookies, well cookies for Christmas like the ones I'm posting on tomorrow's blog. Eating candy canes and enjoying a White Christmas are all traditions I want to pass along to my boys, though I can't control the weather.

Our Christmas Eve dinner is something I can't live without.  We have seafood on Christmas Eve.  In Italian families, there is the Feast of the 7 fishes, which you can read about  here.  We don't go by the 7 exact fishes, but we try our best to pass this tradition on.

I have saved the most important parts of Christmas until last.  The things that I want to most instill into my children.  The reason we celebrate Christmas, Christ our Savior's birth.  If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have a reason to celebrate.

Being with family, we may not be able to be home with our parents, but we are parents now, so showing our children how important it is to be with family on a holiday and making our own traditions give them a foundation.

Teaching my children the importance of giving over receiving is a big part of the Christmas season.  Letting them know that you are making others happy, which gives you a good feeling inside, and being able to see the joy on others' faces is worth the money you spend on the gift.

The last thing that I love, love, love is seeing the joy on my little boys faces on Christmas morning.   When they see the gifts under the tree.  The awe when the lights are lit, they get to the bottom of the steps, turn the corner and see the presents is AWE-MAZING!  Last year I was so excited, I woke up Da Freakout and let him know Santa had come.  I couldn't help myself!  His face was priceless, and I look forward to it every year now.   I don't care if there is one gift under the tree for myself, just as long as my babies are happy, though I do love Steve's face too!

I hope everyone is ready, or almost ready for this weekend, it's going to be here before we know it, and then it will be gone.  Slow down, take a breath and enjoy the days to come.  Our little ones will only be small for a short time, enjoy them while you can.

Happy Wednesday and we'll see you back tomorrow for a yummy cookie recipe, or two.

Love, BJ