Wednesday, December 17, 2008

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas


I feel like the Christmas season came earlier this year. I am someone who will only celebrate each holiday as we are in it. I don't even THINK Christmas until after Thanksgiving is over. Even then I don't usually do much Christmas shopping until a week or so after that. I usually don't decorate until December 1st, because it's December. November is Thanksgiving, December is Christmas. But this year, I think I may have actually bought some Christmas presents before Thanksgiving, and we decorated our house top to bottom all Thanksgiving weekend (due to the fact that we were having our Christmas Bunco at my house the following Tuesday). But I love it, because Christmas lasts longer and it makes all that work of decorating so much more worth it.

Still, it wasn't until this past weekend that it really felt like Christmas time. Why?

*Saturday afternoon Macy and I saw The Nutcracker. We haven't a missed a year since she was three. I never intended for it to become a tradition; in fact, every year I swore I would not take her again after having her whine for snacks and wiggle around on my lap and ask when it would be over. But every year for some reason I'd take her again and now that she's older it's something I absolutely love. There's just something so magical about The Nutcracker. The music, the set, the big auditorium, the dancing, the costumes...I love it all. And now that my two little nieces are in it, it makes it that much more special. Now if Macy would just stop cracking up when the male ballerina comes out in nothing but tights...and you too, Amy.

*Saturday night we had our church Christmas party. It was...well-attended, to put it mildly. We were busting at the seems. But I love a big Christmas party, and it was so worth seeing our bishop's family up on the stage singing "The 12 Days of Christmas," props and all. And seeing Payson sit on Santa's lap and rattle off every single item on his list, in full concentration. (He was on Santa's lap a good two minutes longer than any other kid with their one humble request.)

*We finally got our CD player fixed in our new car. The old one was broken, so we swapped it out with the CD player from our old van. Now I can finally listen to my Christmas CD's and my iPod in my car. This is something that has seriously been missing this holiday season. It seems the only time I can enjoy my Christmas music is driving. At home, it doesn't mesh well with the XBox and kid shows.

*I've been working non-stop on my Christmas cards. If you don't get one this year it's because I seriously miscalculated (me + math = duh?) the supplies bought and only made half the amount as last year. Why don't I just make more, you say? Because I order my supplies, I say. And because I was ready to be done with these cards two weeks ago.


and, most importantly...


*My world is a winter wonderland. And I am loving it. Every morning I get to sleep in two extra hours (school's been delayed all week...things pretty much shut down here when it snows) and with my new 4WD SUV I'm not risking my life every time I drive in it. I love love LOVE the snow. I told my kids, "NOW we can have Christmas."

14 comments:

[M] said...

you could post a pic of your card on the blog, that way those who don't get one can see it...i always love to see the cards you make.

Unknown said...

oooh! M-A, that's a very good idea. which is why i did just that with my kids santa picture. :)
glad you are feeling more Christmassy. the whole music thing makes a huge difference. happy snow for you!

Lisa said...

OH I LOVE SNOW! I LOVE CHRISTMAS AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!!! Glad to hear you're in the spirit.

Alicia Leppert said...

M-A, I'd thought of that, but I don't want to do it before I send everyone's out...that would ruin the fun when they go to open it. But I will definitely do it after. Don't worry, you're getting one. You too, Noelle.

andrea said...

That is EXACTLY what I said when it started snowing. NOW it's Christmas time!!
Glad you are having a great season and extra glad you take your little girl to the Nutcracker!! You got bumped up one spot on my "favorite people" list for that one.

Amy J. said...

I agree oh so agree. I am so glad that you have Christmas music. I only have one complaint...that you actually get to use those extra hours to sleep! Branson has picked the last three morning to get up at the crack of dawn and stay up, of course.

Amy J. said...

Oh...and about the male dancer, If his tights had been any tighter than he would have been naked.

Shayla said...

Oh just admit it, Alicia...you so know that new/old car stereo of yours is playing the Twilight soundtrack...not Christmas music!

Alicia Leppert said...

Andrea-How can I be bumped up higher than #1? It's impossible. P.S. I thought of you at the Nutcracker.
Amy-true story.
Shayla-true story.

dandee said...

I had to cut my Christmas card list back a bit this year too. I refuse to send more than 100 cards EVER again.

linda said...

Hooray for Christmas and the snow!!! It feels so much more like Christmas when there is snow on the ground.
As for presents...I am usually one that is out the 2 days before Christmas rushing around trying to find something for everyone. NOT THIS YEAR!!! I actually had most of my shopping done BEFORE Thanksgiving. I just had a couple of items to pick up. All I have to do now is finish making my kid's pj's and I am DONE! ( A whole week early!)

Natasha said...

Even though I felt ready for Christmas, it is sneaking up on me too. And, I'm wondering if I'm mature enough for the Nutcracker.

Marilyn said...

My cards are beginning to be the bane of my existence, but I'm sure they will come together here sometime before Christmas...hopefully.

Oh, and this winter wonderland is like the best thing to happen to me since...oh, I don't know...discovering Twilight.

Busy Bee Lauren said...

I love Christmas, but I haven't been able to get in the mood :( I think it is because when I lived at home people would stop by with treats...and my mom played music non stop. Well, no one in our ward talks to us, so no treats. And we don't have a CD player, so no music :(