I had this cassette tape when I was little that was all Christmas songs. “We-Sing-Christmas” is what I think it was called. It was a series of sing-a-long tapes with words books so you could… well… sing a long. Not rocket science. Anyway, on the Christmas tape there was this song about Christmas coming, a goose getting fat and something about putting a penny in an old man’s hat. It’s a random song, but one that has been stuck in my head this weekend.
Since Thanksgiving falls very late in the month this year, Jeremy and I decided to do our Christmas decorating on Friday. Jeremy put up our Christmas lights and we started to decorate the inside of the house. I will admit that I was torn. I don’t usually decorate before Thanksgiving, but this year if I wanted help, I needed to do this weekend. Next weekend Jeremy will be out chasing the beast (deer season for archery reopens on Wednesday). I usually do the decorating inside by myself and then Jeremy and I decorate the tree together. This year I took a wild guess and assumed that with Owen around I would need another set of hands. I was right. Jeremy actually ended up hanging with Owen while I put up a majority of the decorations. I was so grateful for Jeremy’s help because with him, I would have been hanging with Owen instead of hanging up stockings (with care, but not by the chimney).
There was a lot of debate in the Christmas aisle of Target. It’s a big decision choosing your son’s first Christmas stocking. A big deal! I found a stocking online that I really liked and it looked navy with a cute deer on it. However, in the store, it turned out to be purple. Now I have nothing against the color purple. It’s a lovely color. But… I thought about 5-6 years down the road and I saw a bigger Owen throwing a fit that his stocking is purple and that’s a girl color. However, by the time Owen is 6 the world might be so politically correct that he will never know colors are associated with certain genders. Maybe he’ll be asking me why he doesn’t have a pink stocking. This might be a battle that I will never win. This lead us to choosing a penguin stocking for him in the very gender neutral color of red. It’s Christmas. You can’t beat the color red (or green), it’s an instant winner. So now we have 4 stockings on the wall because yes, Toby has a stocking too. It’s fun to see the stocking collection grow. The funny story is that we don’t fill our stockings in this household. I do get a stocking from Santa each year, but it’s the strangest thing, it always gets delivered to my in-laws house. Santa must not know where I live or something. Anyway, next year we’ll probably do a stocking for Owen, but since his memory won’t include his first Christmas this “Santa” is saving the bucks for later. I have a feeling Owen will still get something from Santa – most likely at my in-laws. Just a guess…
I know some of you out there probably hate me right now for already having my house decorated and for blogging about it. I know for you I should be ashamed, not proud. Oh well. I will march to the beat of my Christmas drums. *Insert some pun about the little drummer boy that I am not creative enough to come up with right now* I love Christmas. I love this time year. I’m not ashamed of my love for Christmas music, Christmas lights, red cups, peppermint, Christmas shopping and more! By the way, I am happy to say that my Christmas shopping is officially started thanks to Amazon.com. No, it’s not the same as hitting the holiday decorated malls (another thing I love), but at least I have gifts on the way and that makes me happy. On Friday, I bought my wrapping paper, so I’ll be ready for those gifts when they come. I love wrapping presents!
As you can tell, there is very little I don’t love about this season. Egg nog. I don’t love egg nog. Too thick. Gross! So yes, there is my Grinch side. Don’t ask me to have a festive cup of holiday egg nog. Oh and ugly sweaters. My MOPS group is having an ugly sweater contest at our upcoming Christmas party and I’m doomed because I don’t own a single ugly sweater or “festive” sweater as they call it. The closest thing I have to a holiday wardrobe is penguin socks. If only it was a sock contest.
Well, that’s the update with me. I have a Hallmark movie to get back to. I’ve been watching all the new premieres on Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. I’m fairly positive that if it was made before 2013, I have seen every Hallmark Christmas movie. Yikes. It’s scary to admit that. My only excuse is that one year I was very sick around Christmas time and watched them all. The only upside to being sick is endless movie watching… which brings me to my last point – I pulled out White Christmas and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol today. I wanted them on stand by for holiday cheer in the upcoming weeks. I know that are both on totally different ends of the movie spectrum, but both are classics in their own right. At least that is my humble holiday opinion.
Amy Scott's Thoughts 
This blog made me laugh :) Maybe you have been in the house too long – you need to get out – and oh wait! I will be down in Chehalis this WHOLE week! I will text you later. I see Red cups and other delightful things in our future :)
I get out! I spent all day Saturday, half day Sunday and most of today out and about!!! I just love blogging about Christmas! Oh and WHOLE week in Chehalis sounds amazing! We must hang out!!!
I’m setting up our decorations one day earlier than usual because of guests and such. Plus, I’ve learned that while being pregnant, I shouldn’t put things off…… Your place looks great!
I had to do it when I had help and that meant early. It’s already less than a month till Christmas. I wanted the decorations to be out long enough to make it worth it!