It's the most wonderful time of the year

For those who have been living under a rock for the entire time that they've known me, here's some breaking news:

I heart Christmas.


Granted, my dad sells Christmas decorations year-round to retailers, so it's in my blood. Ironically, though, even with growing up in a "Christmas-like household," decorating for my house was pretty crazy. My dad wanted nothing to do with it, since he would be decorating his showroom all day long. He certainly didn't want to come home and decorate more. I mean, the man was manly enough to come home covered in glitter from all the different ornaments. He didn't want to put up a tree.


My mom, on the other hand is a Christmas fiend. She would spend an entire month decorating the stair's banister with garland and ornaments. She would put up the netted outdoor Christmas lights on our hedges. She would put these 6-foot tall nutcrackers in the doorway, looking like they were guarding the door. She would pull down a 50-pound toy chest from the attic and fill it with miniature toys and trees. She would pull in a life-sized sleigh and put a life-sized Santa mannequin in it. She would go buy new Christmas potpourri and scented sprays to keep the house holiday-like. She went all out.

We did some pretty amazing trees over the years.

We did an 10-foot tree which was decorated like a snowy mountain with porcelain villages all over it. There was this one porcelain piece that had a man pushing a woman on a sled. My momo, accident, placed it right on the edge of the tree's "fake mountain cliffside." So we always joked that the man was about to kill his wife by pushing her off the side of the cliff. Yeah, that's normal around Christmastime... Either way, that tree has caused quite a tizzy at home. We are STILL finding pieces of that fake snow in the couch in our living room. (pictured left)

We did a huge tree that had a wooden platform to make it stand out. There were sections cut out, where we put doll house rooms in it. There were even electric, animated dolls in each of the rooms that slowly creaked to their repetitive motions all through the holidays. I remember my favorite part was the "attic" room on the tree that had an old-styled rocking horse in it. There were dolls in front of the tree riding bicycles. The rooms were hand-built and amazing looking. (pictured right)

We did a 10-foot tree that looked like a giant Santa. All of the ornaments were Santa-themed. There was a HUGE velvet cape over the entire tree. The Santa even had a velvet bag slung over it's "back" with "toys" coming out of it. For the Santa's face? Well, my dad couldn't find a Santa mask (as we were looking at party stories right after Halloween. Turns out many people do not go as Mr. And Mrs. Claus for the scary holiday...) So, instead, my dad got a bit creative. We used a Barbara Bush mask with a snowy beard on top to make it look like Santa. That's right. We had Barbara Bush bearded. (pictured left)

We went all out. And I'm just like my mother.

I'm totally one of those people who start listening to 24/7 holiday music the day after Halloween. I'm the one who starts Christmas shopping for family and friends in October. I'm the one who actually wakes up on Christmas morning, jumping around like a school girl excited to see what "Santa" brought me. I'm the one who HAS to watch "A Christmas Story" ALL day long on TBS. I'm the one who goes out every year and buys new Christmas wrapping paper. I'm the one who sends her Christmas cards out with some clever saying on the inside and a family photo on it and it's sitting in people's mailboxes by Thanksgiving Day. Overall, I'm Christmas embodied. (baby Blair in grandmother's house pictured right)

So, as I was listening to Christmas music, I started thinking about my must-have lists for Christmas music. So, here it is:

Best Christmas album released in the last 20 years:
* Merry Christmas - Mariah Carey
This album is perfect. The pacing is marvelous. And the diva makes every Christmas classic her own. To borrow from Danny Davis, Mariah, play us out.

Best Christmas song (non-religious):
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Not only was this song on my favorite album (Carpenter Christmas), but it also is in one my favorite movies of all time: Meet Me in St. Louis. I was often compared to Judy Garland, so her singing this just made me really happy. In fact, still to this day, one of my friend's fathers still says every time he sees me, "Have you ever sung that Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis? You would sound GREAT on that." He's so cute. To borrow from Danny Davis, play us out Judy.

Best Christmas song (religious):
* O Holy Night
I think this song is so much fun to sing. There are so many beautiful versions and even a duet that I once sang in church that I LOVED. Also, the lyrics are spectacular. To borrow from Danny Davis, play us out Nat King Cole.

Best Christmas album that I HAVE to listen to on Christmas Day:
* A Carpenter Christmas (Karen and Richard Carpenter)
This album just reminds me of home. My mom and I would listen to this entire tape (yes, tape, I'm "old.") while we were decorating our epic trees. In fact, this album is why I had the Gonoud version of Ave Maria at David and my wedding. It's on this album. To borrow from Danny Davis, Karen Carpenter, play us out.


Least favorite Christmas song (non-religious):
* Frosty the Snowman
Too many verses. It's weird to sing with all of its skips. It's kind of a stupid song with no reason to it. Also, how creepy is it that all these kids make friends with a snowman and he's like "Dude, I'm about to melt. But it's cool." That's not cool. You were my new best friend and now you're melting. Now that I'm typing, I think Deck the Halls has to rank closely to this one too.

Least favorite Christmas song (religious):
* Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella tied with Joy to the World
This is such a boring song. It just makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Tied closely to this song would be Joy to the World. Mainly because it has like 90 verses and my church growing up HAD to end the service on this song. Trust me, when I hear this song, there is no "Joy" in my "World."

Scariest Christmas Song:
* Little Drummer Boy
When I was a kid, I had this Christmas mixed-tape that my mom and dad made for me. In a large, darkened room during Christmastime, "Little Drummer Boy" sounds creepy as all get out.

Under-utilized Christmas carol:
* It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
The harmony on this song are beautiful. The melody line is easy to sing along with. All in all, a gorgeous one that not enough people sing during the holidays. To borrow from Danny Davis, Frank Sinatra, play us out

Favorite song I sang in choir around Christmas time:
* Mary, did you know?
I think the lyrics on this song are absolutely captivating as a person who loves me some Jesus. To borrow from Danny Davis, Reba McEntire, play us out.

Favorite Christmas Carol to play on the piano:
* Carol of the Bells
I love playing piano and this one is so much fun to play. Sometimes when I'm having a bad day at work, I mime playing this song on the piano. To borrow from Danny Davis, Random piano dude, play us out.

Favorite song I've ever sung as a soloist:
* Breath of Heaven
Brandan still brings this song up to me. She always calls it something hilarious like "Mary was a young mother" or "Breathing like baby Jesus," but I forgive her for it. I mean, the song rocks. To borrow from Danny Davis, Amy Grant, play us out.

Two things, loyal readers. If you actually got through this entire entry, comment! I am borrowing from Ashley Lee's blog. If you comment on this blog entry, I will put all your names in a hat and choose one random person. That person will receive a GREAT Christmastime surprise box filled with goodies! Trust me, your home will thank you for this Christmas gift box.

Also, if you give me your personal Christmas song list, I will put your name into the drawing twice. :) I've even copied and pasted the questions below for ease:
Best Christmas album released in the last 20 years
Best Christmas song (non-religious)
Best Christmas song (religious)
Best Christmas album that I HAVE to listen to on Christmas Day
Least favorite Christmas song (non-religious)
Least favorite Christmas song (religious)
Scariest Christmas Song
Under-utilized Christmas carol
Favorite Christmas song to sing in your car
Favorite Christmas Carol to hear/play on the piano