A Few of My Favorite Things

Christmas Carols are some of my favorite things. I love the traditional ones, the spiritual ones, and even many of the secular ones. But since we have been listening to Christmas music ever since the Thanksgiving dishes were done (thanks for the idea, BG), I have recently become a bit of a Carol Critic. I am not the least bit burned out on Christmas, but the music is starting to get on my nerves! First of all, why do all the American Idol losers make Christmas albums? Not that I don't enjoy Kimberly Locke's rendition of "Up on the Housetop," but I'm not sure the demand for Yuletide Yodeling can support the careers of all the AI rejects.

Even more mind-boggling is the number of Jewish artists (Babs, Barry, and Neil Diamond come to mind) who are crooning carols on every station. Then again, if the Good News is being preached I guess it really matters not who the speaker is. Nevertheless, someone might want to share the Good News with Neil Diamond, who, instead of proclaiming the birth of Christ, has skillfully worked the titles of all of his songs into the "carol" (I now use the word VERY loosely) "A Very Merry Cherry Cherry Christmas." WHAT???? "A Cherry Christmas?" I don't even know what that means! Most disturbing of all is that I actually like that stupid song.

My beloved husband is annoyed by the songs that are played AS IF they are carols when in fact they have NOTHING at all to do with Christmas--i.e. "A Few of my Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music is NOT a Christmas Carol. Never has been, never will be.

And now we have arrived at the point of this post...which is NOT to wax on about the deteriorating condition of the Christmas Carol; but rather, to share with you a FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS that are displayed in my house in honor of the season. Yeah, I know, almost as sneaky as Neil Diamond managing to fit the words "Sweet Caroline" and "Song Sung Blue" into the lyrics of his "Cherry Christmas" song.

These are my boys' stockings--which I made back when both were babies. I crafted them from felt--the fabric for the sewing-challenged-seamstress, and stitched their names on by hand. Since I do not know how to embroider, the stitching is nothing great, full of imperfections, and barely legible. Still, these stockings have hung cheerily by my fireplace for the past 13 Christmases, and they always make me smile!

In the great flood of 2006, I lost most of my Christmas ornaments. So over this past Thanksgiving, my mom (who is a GIFTED seamstress) helped me make these ornaments for my tree. Yes, they are felt. Because GLUE works on felt. And while I am a klutz with a needle, I am a whiz with a glue gun. I LOVE them!

Finally, let me share with you my Nutcracker collection! Each year my dear sister-in-law has added to the grouping, and every year I think I have a new favorite. Each of our parents (Dennis and Williamson) have passed along a Nutcracker of their own, adding a bit of heritage to the grouping. Could you imagine a a more charming army?

What are your favorite THINGS at Christmas?

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