A Few of My Favorite Things
Posted by Joanne Rock in Joanne Rock, tags: celebrations, Christmas, holidays
Recently, I was grading some papers from my lit students, and while they were well written and interesting (yay!) there was a topic a few of them mentioned that made me a smidge disheartened– the over-commercialization of Christmas and the movement away from what the holidays mean. Now, I don’t argue student perspectives. I’m there to critique the writing and help them improve their techniques. But I figure I can share with YOU all what I think about this so-called commercialization of Christmas. Humbug.
I really love the holiday season. And I don’t buy into this idea that we’ve moved away from what the season means. I personally think one of the coolest things about the holidays is that this month encompasses so many ancient religious beliefs bound up with newer ones. No matter if you’re Jewish or Christian, pagan or atheist, you can find something to celebrate this time of year. I don’t think that any of us have the market cornered on the meaning of the season. We celebrate the things that are meaningful for each of us. How cool is that?
If things feel over-commercialized this time of year, I recommend turning off live TV and sliding in a DVD or Bing Crosby in White Christmas. Or turning off commercial radio and testing out Loreena McKennitt’s gorgeous Midwinter Night’s Dream for some holiday tunes. Light some candles and remember to enjoy a few of your favorite things this time of year. Bake your mom’s perennial favorite holiday cookie recipe. Or simmer some nutmeg and cloves on the stove to just make it smell like your baking. The effect is as heavenly and calorie-free. For me, it’s not the holidays without hunting for the perfect tree, watching my kids sled down a snowy, or hosting a big shindig for the whole family.
Beyond those traditions, I have a few faith-based acts that help bring the meaning of the season home to me and my family. But I don’t discount the outward trappings of the celebration that make it so memorable and joyous every year. I hope you remember to pull your family close to you this holiday and enjoy a few of your own favorite things. Happy Holidays!
What are a few of your favorite things this time of year? Favorite holiday CD or film? Beloved holiday tradition? Share with me the sweet and simple things that make the season fun for you and I’ll give away a copy of Blazing Little Christmas along with the NYT Bestseller The Thirteenth Tale, to a random poster, sure to make for fun fireside reading!
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Our family was just commenting on how we prefer to fly out to my sister’s home (like we did when our kids were 4 to 18) for the two-week break, but time moves on and our kids now have full-time jobs without Christmas vacations. We still enjoy being with DH’s family throughout the holiday, but our fave time is playing board/card games, tobogganning, reading library books, skating, swimming, geocaching, catching movies, etc. with my side of the family.
When wrapping presents and signing cards, I play Alvin & The Chipmunks’ Christmas CD. Definitely gets me in a festive mood! If there’s time, I move on to Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, etc.
When my mom died in 1995, we split up her tons of VCR tapes. I STILL watch her tape with Guy Lombardo’s NY Eve, but I no longer wait till Dec 31. The music is mellow and relaxing throughout the holiday instead (but I just never play it at another time of year).
And of course no Christmas season would be complete without going to church Christmas Eve, enjoying the kids’ involvement, singing our hearts out, and checking out all the Christmas lights on the way home.
Happy holidays to you and your family also!
Laney, my husand has a “church bass” voice that he only breaks for hymns. It always makes my smile :-).
Im with you on the Bing Crosby music. Bing, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, all those classic guys. I love just putting on their Christmas music and baking with the kids. I love baking and watching the kids put way to much frosting and sprinkles on the cookies. As for films, it wouldnt be Christmas with out movies like White Christmas and The Santa Clause movies. I love getting together with family to share food and smiles, even though in a big Cuban family it can get kinda loud, lol! I also love sneaking all the presents under the tree after the kids have gone to bed on christmas eve, and the joy of seeing their faces light up when they come downstairs on Christmas morning and see that Santa has been here. Oh I also love watching the kids leave Santa cookies and milk and leave the reindeer carrots, and seeing the looks on their faces when they are all gone in the morning. It makes all the hussle and bussel worth it all.
The holiday is very magical when they are young. I was happy I convinced my 15 year old to put out reindeer food with me last year. We tossed the oatmeal, birdseed, glitter combo in the snow. I think he knew we might not attract many reindeer, but I loved that he humored me!
Hi, Joanne! My favorite thing this time of year is mainly that we make time to be with our friends and our families–that seems to slip away during the year when things get busy, but it’s lovely that we make an effort to enjoy that company during this season! I also enjoy some of the basic trappings–decorating the tree together, seeing all the ornaments the kids have made, enjoying church together, and of course, sharing those holiday meals! It’s not a celebration without food
Hope your Christmas is wonderful, Joanne!
Oh, and favorite movie? Still A Charlie Brown Christmas
Thank you!! We bought a 4-pack of Peanuts holiday DVDs a few years ago and they have been watched and watched.
My favorite thing this time of year is the music, the decorations, and the Christmas cheer.
Hi Joanne,
The holiday is definitely what you make it but I can understand how a trip to the mall and watching TV could make you feel that the holiday has lost it’s meaning. I enjoy some holiday baking and the smell of the tree. Also I like pulling out the ornaments and looking at the decorations the kids made when they were younger.
The thing I love most about Christmas is spending time with my family. We don’t get together much, but I see everyone on Christmas. I enjoy having the house decorated because it looks naked without Christmas decorations. I enjoy baking all sorts of cookies for friends and family. Also taking the few nights out of December to go see Christmas lights. Plus all the wonderful Christmas movies and specials on every night. And you can’t forget the Christmas music, love playing it all day.
I love the smiles on everyones faces when they open their presents! Enjoying the many Christmas movies and music daily… I love THE CHRISTMAS LIST and many other movies, fav CDs are Josh Groban, Bing, Sarah Brightman, Loreena McKinnett, etc…
Happy Holidays all!!! (G)
My favorite thing about the holiday is our “new” tradition. We keep it seriously simple by getting together the weekend (or two) before, swapping gifts with the kids only, and then enjoying a nice, quiet lunch out where we can all enjoy it without the stress of trying to clean the whole house, cook a meal, and do all the cleaning afterwards. This way everybody enjoys it.
Come the actual day, we all spend it in our own homes however we want. If this means all day in bed, never getting out of the PJs, that’s cool. This year I’m looking forward to spending it in the movie theater going to see Sherlock Holmes. Happy Holidays to me! *G*
But I think my absolute FAVORITE part of the holidays now is spending time with my mom. She’s not only my mom but my best friend and my hero. Er. Heroine? Whatever. LOL. Either way, I can’t imagine my life without her. And since this time last year she was in the hospital having surgery to remove unexpected (and luckily found and everything is totally okay now) cancer… this is not only the holday, but an anniversary and a reminder of just how lucky I really am. It’s probably also my most emotional. I still get all teary when I think about it. LOL. I don’t think I’ll look at the holidays the same ever again.
Oh, and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald CDs. I’ve already played them. When I need a jolt into a better mood, I’ll pop in Bob Rivers’ Twisted Christmas CDs.
Julie
Julie, so glad your mom is celebrating this anniversary! This holiday will be all the more meaningful. Enjoy Sherlock Holmes!
My favorite thing on Christmas day after all the presents are opened and we’ve eaten dinner. All the grownups gather together for our usual game of poker!
I’m baking… baking like a mad woman
. I already tried different new recipes and it’s only beginning ! Seriously all this cold and rainy days have given me enough ideas and time to slave mysleft in the kitchen… but what a pleasure when it’s over !
My husband and I love going around and looking at all the Christmas lights! We have some very good ones where we live. Even stores get into the act too!
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking cookies. Yum! Have to have at least 5 or 6 different kinds. My hubby and I love going around and visiting our friends and family. Just hanging out, laughing, watching tv, playing games, and having a good ‘ol time is the best medicine for a great holiday season!
Oh, and getting presents from Santa on Christmas is always a second favorite!
Ho! Ho! Ho! (G) Merry Christmas!!!
Hi, Joanne! I love to bake chocolate chip cookies to give to relatives and friends for Christmas. On Christmas Eve and/or Christmas we go to a relative and/or friends house for dinner, taking some kind of dish with us.
I love to watch the children open their presents, see Christmas ornaments and lights, and celebrate with relatives and friends our love for them and Christ.
I prefer the 50s Christmas songs that Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and others used to sing. It wouldn’t be Christmas without all of these things.
My husband and I played almost all 50s songs at our wedding. Sam Cooke is my favorite :-).
There are 2 traditions that are little and special to me the first one is Today is my birthday and for as long as I can remember we have always put the tree up on my birthday, As I have gotten older my kids want it up sooner so we put one up after Thanksgiving and one up onmy Birthday. The second thing we always do is go out Christmas eve and get hot chocolate and drive around looing at Christmas lights then we come home the kids open there Chistmas eve pj’s and it is time to go to bed.
Happy Birthday, Michele!!!! Hope you had an awesome day!
I enjoy the music, food, and family.
For me, I adore watching A Christmas Story over and over. They’re the perfect, most realistic family to me. And I also try to drink as many egg nog lattes as I can before the holidays are over. Those two things make me extremely happy!
vacaton, food and famly
sports on tv lol
have a happy weekend all (H) (Y) (W)
I love when the radio stations start playing only Christmas music. It really helps get me in the mood. I love the classics like Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” I always enjoy putting up the tree with the family.
Hi! I love this time of the year. I also hate the over commercialization of Christmas – starting before Halloween??!
My fav’s stockings stuffed with goodies. Our family has had a long tradition dating back to when we were children of stuffing the stockings & having one bigger “Santa” gift outside it. Perhaps that was an Appalachian thing, I don’t know. I came to treasure that & love to stuff my daughter’s & husband’s stockings to this day.
Baking! Yum! Giving what you made to neighbors and friends. See your husband’s eyes light up with the thought of a sweet delight!
The Joy to me is in the giving. That is what I feel this season should be about, no matter how you worship, it’s about the giving & sharing of joy, friendship & love. (G)
I enjoy getting together with family and watching the delight on my grandchildren’s faces when they open their presents. I like the smell of baking cookies and have had to put it off a couple of times so I’m going to try and bake some this weekend. I also have some holiday candles I like to burn. I always watch the Grinch every year, the cartoon one. It’s a favorite.
My husband and I watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” every year.Our 4 kids have grown and still laugh at us when we say we’re getting ready to watch it. One year the vcr ate the movie right in the middle, and broke the vcr. My youngest son ran out and bought us a new one for Christmas. We still watch the movie after 39 years of marriage. My tree has bells and the grandkids like to ring them, and I tell them an angel just got their wings, and the kids smile and ring some more.Merry Christmas to all……….
Hi Joanne, love the topic for today. I don’t have a few favorite things…there is a long list. My favorite Cd is Special Times by Celine Dion and my fav film is White Christmnas with Bing. I love him sooooooo much. You don’t have to enter me in the drawing, but I wanted to say hello to everyone. I hioep that you all have a wonderful weekend.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Wasn’t this fun? I’m more in the holiday spirit already! Thank you for sharing some of your favorite things with me!
(G) (G) The thread winner is Jody F! Jody, I’ll email you privately, but all I need is for you to email me at joanne@joannerock.com with a mailing address and I’ll ship out your books ASAP! Thanks again to everyone for visiting!
Congrats Jody! (*)
Thanks Joanne! I sent you my info.
Happy Holidays to everyone!!!! (G)
Congrats Jody F. I hope you enjoy the books.
Have a wonderful holiday season everyone. I will see you around sooner rather than later okay.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Congrats Jody!