Christmas Thursday 13

thursday thirteen

Thirteen Things that Renée loves about CHRISTMAS First I want you to notice that today's 13 is NOT posted on Wednesday night with the time monkeyed with. I really got up this moring at 6AM to do this. Well actually I got up because my oven's self-cleaner that I turned on last night was beeping at me... but I was still thinking about you too! :D 1. That all the radio stations are playing songs about Jesus' birth! 2. That my Christian radio station hasn't been playing Christmas songs non-stop since before Thanksgiving. Even today the first song that I heard wasn't about Christmas...they won't go full blown Christmas until the 24th. So I'm not sick of hearing them yet. YAY! I listen to http://www.KLOVE.com 3. I love decorating the house for Christmas. My decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving and will stay up until Jan 6th. My Mom used to say to leave them up until after the New Year to carry the Spirit into the New Year. Then I started leaving them up until Jan 4th for my birthday... and now I leave them up for the Epiphany. 4. I love seeing Darly open up gifts that are "JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED!!!!" She's so cute when she gets a good gift. We still need to work on her reaction to when she gets a "not so good gift" because one year she questioned Santa's sanity when he gave her Halloween costumes...they were for dressing up. AND it turned out that she loved them and wouldn't take them off and wear normal clothes for weeks. SEE SANTA DOES know what he's doing. 5. I love figuring out the perfect gift for DH and suprising him with it. Last year I had managed to catch everything that he wanted and got it all for him (of course that left nothing for me to get him for his birthday in FEB, but oh well!) See if DH doesn't like a gift he just won't do anything with it. His laser level is still in the package in the basement...but not near his tools. He also still has a red Members Only jacket in the box that his mom got for him. 6. I love cooking Christmas dinner. I now have my "signature" meal. It took me a while of trying to come up with the perfect dish, but I did it. See, MIL has us come over on Christmas Eve for Church service & dinner of Ham. SIL has us come over on Christmas day (normally, but not this year) for prestents & Deep Fried Turkey. So my dinner this year is on the 23rd and is Beef Rib Roast. Yeah, it's expensive but it's only once a year and the stores put it on sale. 7. I'm also making my grandmother's cheesecake. This is very expensive too with 5 boxes of cream cheese & 7 eggs. But it's also only once a year and sooooo yummmy! And now that my grandmother can't make it anymore, it's up to me. One of these days, I'll have to go to FL to make it for grandma before it's too late. 8. I love my mom dearly, but I am so glad that she isn't here for the holidays. Why? Because even though I'm following the recipe perfectly, I'm not doing it right (and she messes it up!) The last time I was here, she had comments about how I do the laundry, how I have my kitchen arranged, how I seasoned the meat for Christmas dinner and how to make Grandma's cheesecake (adding stuff that Grandma doesn't and monkeying with the cooking.) 9. I love that MIL won't say anything if she doesn't like something, but lay on the praises if she does. She likes my cooking, but I don't think that she likes my cleaning (she's german and they always have floors so clean you can eat off of them... my floors look as if someone did eat off of them!) 10. I love that MIL lives 45 minutes away and Mom lives 5 states away. Mom whines that we don't come for Christmas, but who wants to spend Christmas in Florida when we live in Colorado? 11. I love that all my shopping is done early and is finally all wrapped. All I will have to do Christmas morning is to put it under the tree. It's also fun that Darly at age 7 and homeschooled still believes in Santa and except for trying to catch him is no where near figuring things out. When I was her age I already knew all about Santa. 12. I love Christmas eve service at Church. We will be going to MIL's Church this year and their service is always very lovely (our Church's service is great too and I hate to miss it, but we can't be at two places at once.) MIL's pastor always says "Jesus loves you, and so do I" at each service. He also says when it's time for communion that "The Gifts from God are FREE!" I know these, but I like to be reminded in this busy time of year of them. 13. And I'm so excited that this year Christmas falls on a Sunday so we will finally be going to Church on Christmas day. I'm sure it will be small and cozy and very special. I wish that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone out there. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. squashedtoad 2. ivoryfrog 3. Lisa 4. phoenix 5. Lazy Daisy 6. Kat 7. D 8. Running2Ks 9. Jennifer 10. laura 11. yellowrose 12. Jen 13. chickadee 14. sallwood 15. Veronika 16. bone 17. Prairierose 18. audra 19. Dawn N. 20. barbara 21. Karin 22. leanne 23. uzicue 24. Lisa @ The World.. 25. deejay 26. tc 27. texas ivy 28. holly New Friends: 1. master enigma 2. Allison 3. Charity 4. ms. crystal 5. Jane 6. themartins 7. Lazy Daisy 8. anna 9. janet (If you're a first time visitor, leave your link in comments, and I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants