My Christmas List
10 things that bring me Holiday Season joy
I really enjoy reading all the various lists that come out this time of year. So, I thought I’d join in and create my own list for once, so here you go! Here are ten things that bring me that special Christmastime joy:
Opening my boxes of Holiday decorations. I’ve already mentioned the hereditary habit of overdecorating my home (see this blog post if you missed it). But on the day after Thanksgiving, I do love that first glimpse of the festive decorations that have been wrapped up tucked away from view for the last 11 months. It is like seeing old friends again.Â
All the fairy lights at night, brightening up what is an otherwise dreary and dark time of year. I love getting glimpses of extra sparkle as we walk around after dusk.
Christmas songs: singing and playing from the day after Thanksgiving to the last day of the year, only. I love all of them: the old favourites, contemporary tunes, remixes; bring them all on! But beware! I love to sing along.
Christmas movies: I have a large collection that I watch from after Thanksgiving until Boxing Day. Now that netflix has served up another gazillion shows, it is getting a bit tricky to fit them all in. (Not even going to touch the whole debate about Die Hard. There is only one number one: Muppets Christmas Carol.)Â
Baking Christmas cookies. Mmmm, those smells of cinnamon and cloves! OK, eating them is pretty great too.
Bookstores. Bookstores are always special, but visiting in December always takes me back to childhood Christmases, when I was gifted a new Christmas book each year. We would read those books every night leading up to Christmas. Also I always got books for Christmas, so my childhood Christmas afternoons were spent curled up reading my new books.Â
a couple of my favourite Christmas books Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. Usually I just get to listen to the soundtrack, which is wonderful, but if I get to watch it, that is pretty special. Hearing Linus reciting the Christmas gospel takes me straight back to my childhood.Â
Community brass bands playing in all weather on our high streets. What a sense of occasion they bring and it always slows people down, brings a smile to our faces, and a hum as we walk along. Â
Listening to Once in Royal David’s City sung by the Choir of Kings College Cambridge first thing Christmas morning. Hearing angels start the day, I can’t help but delight in those pure clear voices.
Spending time with family. Really, I am always grateful to be with whatever family I have the privilege of enjoying this time of year. Sometimes I am with my adult children, and sometimes I am with my partner’s family. Whoever we are with, it means lots of laughs, too much food and drink, and hopefully a few long walks.Â
There are LOADS of other things I love to do at Christmas, but these are the things that come to mind now and which really make me feel like it’s Christmastime. How about you? What are your favourite holiday activities, and the things that make you feel like, yep, it’s the holiday season? I’d love to hear!! Â
Meantime, enjoy whatever your traditions are this time of year, and wishing you new delights in the coming year!Â
Please know how grateful I am that you are reading this, and I am honoured that you chose to spend your precious time with me.
See you in the New Year!
With love,
Sabrina
This is such a lovely list Sabrina! Many of your favorites align with mine, and give me warm feelings to see them collected here. Some other favorites I have include attending a Holiday Pops Concert put on each year here by the Rochester Philharmonic, with an accompanying high school choral group that brings tears to my eyes when they sing, watching Arthur’s Perfect Christmas DVD with my now grown kids, and making batches and batches of Christmas and Hanukkah cutout cookies with red, green and blue sprinkles! And celebrating in all sorts of ways with family and friends is always the best part...thanks for sharing your list with us!
I loved this post! Another wonderful one.
It inspired me to get revved up about Christmas again. It's been a tough few years, starting with the theft of all our possessions, including three boxes of Christmas decor, some of which I had as a child. We also lost the ornaments and other Christmas paraphranalia I collected throughout the children's lives and on numerous trips. That loss and then the pandemic took the wind out of my sails but this post fills them up again.
One of my favorite, favorite traditions is listening to Handel's Messiah ad nauseum and going to a Messiah concert. This year, we attended one in Madrid and tears slid down my cheeks the whole time. My mother also played it as a loop during Christmas which was probably the main reason for my sniffles. Another is to fill the stockings for the family. And of course, the best is the family time.
So many wonderful things. Thank you for sharing yours.