These are a few of my favorite things: Christmas style.

It's no secret that I love lists.  Here's a list of all my favorite Christmas things.

Favorite Christmas animated movie: A Year without a Santa Claus.
Heat Miser and Snow Miser?  "I'm too much".  I love those guys!

Favorite Christmas movie: There are too many that I love.  Here's a sampling: Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and The Holiday.

Favorite Christmas song: Carol of the Bells.  Hands-down my favorite.  It has been since my middle school choir days.

Favorite Christmas cd: Jessica Simpson: Rejoyce the Christmas Album.  The "Baby, It's Cold Outside" duet with Nick Lachey is fabulous.  I love the lyrics of that song.  Such a great little classic diddy of a man that just can't get enough of his woman.
Make fun all you want, but I heart Jessica Simpson despite her failed movie-making attempts.  I've always had a girl crush on her.  If you ever wanna borrow The Newlyweds DVDs, I've got 'em.

Favorite Christmas drink: Eggnog.  Lurrrrrrv this stuff.

Favorite Christmas meal: breakfast that my Momma makes on Christmas Day.  Breakfast casserole, hashbrown casserole, cheese grits, biscuits and gravy.  So good.

Favorite Christmas Tradition: Growing up I always liked when we read the passages from the Bible and did the lighting of our Advent Wreath together as a family on the Sundays leading up to Christmas day.

I also love having a chocolate advent calendar each year.  Last year I wrote this post about advent calendars.  I still get one even now that I'm "grown".  This year is probably my favorite one I've ever had in my life.  The chocolates are wrapped like packages and taste so good.  Plus when you open the window it gives a cutesy little rhyme.  The kindergarten teacher in me wishes all of my students had one.  It's a great tool for number recognition (up to the # 24--woo doggies!) and it gives a great rhyme behind each numbered window.  Math and reading skills!  And a chocolatey snack as a reward for learning!  It's a win-win!

Here's an example of a window rhyme.  Of course I'd already snatched the chocolate out of there before I snapped the pic.

I've also liked the whole tradition of Christmas Eve a lot.  Each Christmas Eve we attend our church candlelight service as a family.  After the church service we go to the same restaurant for dinner each year.  Then we go home and open up sibling gifts and our annual new pair of pajamas.
I also get to see my friend, Alison on Christmas Eve.  We've seen each other and exchanged gifts every Christmas Eve since elementary school.

I also like that we still put out cookies and milk for Santa.  We even leave a little bit of cheese for Santa Mouse.

Favorite Christmas Memory: This is a tough one.  There are so many great stories.  To me favorite coincides with funny, so it'd probably be the Christmas that the sliding door flew off of the hinges on our Astro mini-van and fell off in a parking lot.  That was pretty great.

Favorite Christmas Book: An Idiot Girl's Christmas by Laurie Notaro

Favorite Christmas Decoration: Besides my beautimous black Christmas tree, our family nativity scene.

It is displayed at my parents house.  We've had this nativity scene since I was little.  My Godmother made it for us.  I used to love playing with all the pieces.  This is definitely one thing that I'd like to inherit someday.  I think I was particularly fond of this particular set because:

Mary and Baby Jesus were blonde!  Jesus was like me as a babe!  A little blondie!  Who knew?

I asked my Mom what she thought my favorite Christmas decorative item was that she has in her house.  She didn't guess the nativity.  She guessed this little thing:

When she mentioned this little gingerbread wagon I cracked up.  I had honestly forgotten about it this year, but every year I talk about this wagon.  Something about it cracks me up and I love it.  It's something with the little heart-carved wheels.  I can also picture Daisy riding down the sidewalk in it--perhaps a bigger version--and it's a glorious image in my brain.
I told Mom I'm going to take this wagon someday too.

Favorite Christmas Sweet: My Granny M's chocolate dipped peanut butter crackers.

Favorite Starbucks Christmas treats: Peppermint Mochas and Cranberry Bliss Bars

Booyah!  These are so good.

So, there you have it.  Even though I can have a Grinchy heart when it comes to shopping and giving and I'm probably a bit of a Scrooge at times, I do truly love Christmas.  I love putting up my tree (way early), I love the traditions, the nostalgia of it all, the family time, and of course, remembering what Christmas is truly all about--Jesus.
I love the feeling of anticipation leading up to Christmas day.  This will be my 27th Christmas and I still get excited on Christmas Eve night...I can't lie.  It's fun waking up on Christmas and remembering those 'kid feelings' again.  Opening presents and a stocking isn't half bad either.  :)