What Makes It Christmas?

I don't know about anyone else, but there are just some things that make Christmas for me. When I see or hear or taste these things, then it is Christmas.

1. Danish Nut Balls (See Cooking with Cattitude for the recipe). Grandma always sent some in her Christmas package.

2. Oyster Stew - Must be a mid-west thing, but we have Oyster Stew every Christmas Eve before opening presents. It's the only time of year that I have it, and it is SO good!

3. (Don't laugh!) Listening to "John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together" CD. Mom used to play the album (real vinyl) when we were getting ready for Christmas Eve and when we baked Christmas Cookies when I was younger.

1. Snow

2. Christmas Carolers

3.Almond Roca

4. my mom's special chocolate chip dreams

Family gathering for dinner....

Kids.......

Hot Chocolate.......

The smell of a fireplace...

The look on my cat's face when we bring home a tree...

1. Family & Friends

2. Snow

3. Christmas Tree & Decorations

4. Seeing The Smiles On My Kids Faces On Christmas Morning

Visiting my Nan on Christmas Eve- all the family gathers there

Snow, snow ,snow!!!

Nan's coffee fudge that she makes just for me as a gift each year

Hanging the stockings on Christmas Eve, only after 5 pm, as dictated by my dad (I STILL have to wait and I'm 27 )

My kids getting us up at 3 or 4 am Christmas morning, and that first cup of coffee

The baking marathon my Mom, sister and I have every year. We make roughly 15 different cookies.

Hitting the shopping malls and coming home with a trunk full of bags!!

Trying to fit a 25lb turkey in my tiny freezer!

The smell of yummy food cooking.

Wearing new christmas clothes.

When family starts arriving...

I Christmas!

The candy making for all the Friends.
This is DH posting, I do most of it with a lot of help from the better half.
We do peanut brittle, divinity,coconut balls, peanut butter balls,
carmel corn, and homemade orange gumdrops.
I know it's Christmas when I get started.
Last year I didn't do much, every body missed it too.

two things make christmas for me even though I struggle with it.

My wife and my love for her.
Our son and his face .... and delight at what santa has brought. hes not gonna be dissapointed this year either!!!

1. The avacado dip that is the first recipe in Cooking with Cattitude.

2. Playing games at my dad's house on Christmas Eve way too late - 2 years ago we went until 4:30 am!

3. Christmas morning at my mom's, we all sit around in our jammies drinking hot cider, eating appetizers and goodies, and opening presents.

4. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with my husband and son. We also like A Christmas Story, but it's not quite the same.

5. Wrapping gifts - for some odd reason, I've always loved that.

hmmmm.. now that's a hard one cos we dun have snow here and people dun celebrate xmas as much as you guys...

i guess the thing that makes it look or sound like xmas would be the carols that i hear everywhere and the lights which the shopping malls put up.. but these few years it gets boring and commercialized...but i guess it's really the spirit of giving that makes xmas special to me...I love xmas so much!!!

1) Wrapping presents!! I LOVE wrapping presents.

2) Putting up the tree and decorating it.

3) Fairy lights everywhere! I LOVE fairy lights!!

4) Being with people that I care about.

1. The family being together.

2. Christmas decorations and trees.

3. Watching people open the gifts I bought for them.

4. Midnight services at church.

5. Christmas songs.

6. Baking cookies and making candy.

7. Eggnog.

The main thing is watching Christmas Vacation with my family, we have had this tradition probably since it came out and even though we must watch it at least 5 times every christmas season, we still laugh out loud at it every time

Second would be when every man in my family is sleeping on the couch at 1 in the afternoon, snoreing realllly loud, while the women slave in the kitchen lol! It's a tradition so I can't complain tooo much.

Hmmm tough, my hubby and I are at far from our families so don't always get to see them at Christmas but...

Wrapping presents - I spend hours curling ribbon, finding the perfect bow.

Convincing my kitty Gus to jump inside the red plush Santa sack and go for a ride around the house, that's when Christmas really starts!

Cooking and eating waay too much food and pigging out with the family we do get to see.

Christmas music! When I start hearing it on the radio, when our church starts practicing for our Christmas program, and when I bust out my Christmas CDs. And this year, I'll be playing guitar for the youth group performance, so I'm totally immersed in X-mas music. And of course, family gatherings.

Satsumas!

1. Taking my boyf's little brother Nathan to the cinema on Christmas Eve so his mum can get organised in peace. He's coming up 11 and still believes.

2. Getting up at 5am to make sure we're up before Nathan so we can see his face when he sees all his presents!

3. Mistletoe.

4. Yorkshire pudding and roast parsnips with Christmas Dinner.

1. Christmas decorations. I live in a small town and almost everbody puts lights on the outside of their houses. Riding around in the car and looking at the lights always gets me in the Christmas mood. The lights look especially pretty under the snow.

2. Baking and the wonderful way is scents the house.

3. Going Caroling.

4. Christmas Eve service at church. Something really magical happens. I always sing at the Christmas Eve service. This year I'm singing "O Holy Night". I love to let my voice soar on the high notes. (I am scheduled to sing quite a bit this season, but nothing matches singing on Christmas Eve.)

5. Waking up Christmas morning at my Sister's house (the house I grew up in) and opening presents in our pajamas and then having Christmas breakfast, which my B-I-L makes for us.

Buying the perfect present, and then practically bursting to tell the person it's for.

Decorating the tree while listening to Christmas carols.

Letting my students make snowflake decorations for the classroom. (We just did this today, and suddenly, I am ready for Christmas.)

Christmas cookies

Planning to send cards on time, although it doesn't always happen

A feeling of happiness and peace toward everyone