Seven Seasonal Sensations

Darcy at Such the Spot recently did this meme, and I couldn't resist! The gist is that I share seven things about me that relate to the holidays. You read them and agree that my seven items are awesome, then you share yours. Fun, right?

1. I really don't ever want a white Christmas, yet I often get it. I know that's horrible and awful of me. Christmas purists, feel free to come beat me up, but I just really dislike snow. Yes, it looks pretty, but it's SO cold. And inevitably, as we spend Christmas Eve dashing from my grandpa's, to church, to Shane's parents, I end up with a shoe full of snow. Perhaps this is my fault for dressing improperly by wearing open-toed shoes on December 24th, but I fail to see why the weather can't cooperate with me a little bit better.

2. I love love love Starbucks holiday drinks. I love them so much that I can tell you that the drinks came back on Election Day, and I was so overjoyed to have my Peppermint Mocha Twist that it was like there was a party in my mouth. I just wish they were fat-free.

3. I really don't like turkey. As I'm typing this, I realize that I sound like a real holiday JERK what with my snow and turkey hating attitudes, but let me assure you, I have a good reason for hating turkeys. I grew up in the country, and when I was little, we had chickens and turkeys. This one turkey hated me. You might think that turkeys don't have the capacity to hate, OH BUT THEY DO. When I was four, every time I would go outside to play, this monster of a turkey would corner me and peck at me. Being that I was all of four, the turkey was roughly the same size as me. Our fights would always end with me crying, and my mom chasing the turkey away with a broom. I realize that I just made my childhood sound like "The Beverly Hillbillies" with my mom chasing a turkey around with a broom, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I have a really good reason for not liking turkey. Logic would say that I should like to eat turkey because at least the turkey is dead, but no. Dead or alive, I hate it. The only time in recent history I've eaten turkey was a sandwich 20 minutes after Luke was born, and that doesn't count because I would've eaten a piece of plaster at that point.

4. That said, I very much enjoy a myriad of other holiday foods. There are things that I must eat around the holidays, even if I don't eat them the rest of the year. I love stuffing and pies, of course. My favorite holiday food are these fabulous rolls my mom makes. They're called butterhorns, and she makes every little bit of them from scratch. It takes hours for the dough to rise, then you have to cook them and brush them with butter, but oh my word, they melt in your mouth. Due to my turkey boycott, I mainly fill up on delicious, delicious carbs during Thanksgiving dinner.

5. I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas. I really hate the materialism of it, but on the flipside, I really love giving special gifts to loved ones. I also really love the magic of the holiday. I love Christmas Eve church, and I LOVE Christmas music. My favorite Christmas album is Songs for Christmas by Sufjan Stevens. My favorite type would be the traditional, religious carols, my favorite being "O Holy Night," especially the Tracy Chapman version.

6. I've never had a fake Christmas tree. Growing up, we'd cut a tree out of our woods. Now we usually get one from Shane's parent's house. Last year, we tried a live tree, where you get a smaller tree in a pot, then plant it outside. Unfortunately, our little tree died, despite assurances from the man at the nursery that it'd be fine, so I don't think we'll do that this year.

7. My favorite holiday decoration is my Willow Tree nativity scene. I collect Willow Tree angels, and I worked on getting this entire set for a few years. I put it up the day after Thanksgiving, and I usually keep it up through most of January because I just can't bear to put it away. See how pretty it is?


Now that you've waded through mine, what are your seven things about the holidays?