What is it all about?

So what is the Christmas Season all about?

yes, I KNOW what it is all about... Jesus is the reason for the Season...
but what is it about the Holiday that means the most to you?
What are your favorite holiday memories?

Seems I spend so much time worrying about gifts for the kids... but thinking back to my childhood, my favorite holiday memories have very little to do with the gifts we received...

I was thankful for everything I received but there are few things that stand out...
my Band Aid "Feed the World" album...My "Cabbage" Patch doll... my mother had it made so it would look just like ME.. & my 10 speed bike which I crashed the next morning.
the year the 3 of us each got our own JAM BOX... (those alone took up half of the family room)

My best memories are of the ANTICIPATION of Christmas morning...
Ooooo...I would get a tummy ache I was soooo excited. From the time my mother starting setting presents under the tree (like Dec. 1st) We would beg & beg & beg to open "JUST ONE GIFT pleeeeease?!"

My mom worked her TAIL OFF trying to make Christmas as magical as possible... & it was.

Christmas morning we were up & down the stairs by about 4 am....

I am making it SOUND like it was about the gifts but really, looking back... it was about the surprises, the lights, the tree.... the togetherness...

It was about Grandma, Grandpa, Mema & Pepa coming to town.

It was about my dad pulling out his antique MONOPOLY Game (from like 1904-- OK, it isn't THAT old..but pretty darn close... it was his as a child) - it was the only time he would pull it out so we could play ALL NIGHT LONG.

My brother would start singing "Mortgage Portgage ...WHO CARES?"...over & over LAUGHING as I had to mortgage all of my houses/properties... I would usually storm off in tears because I had LOST EVERYTHING... Never thought I would look back to the time my brother teased me as GOOD TIMES but they were.... (as a side note...MONOPOLY is Dane's favorite game & yes...we all sing "Mortgage Portgage ...WHO CARES?"... & torture whoever is losing... - I am a horrible mother, so sue me.)

It was about the dinner... (once again, bless my mother for trying to PLEASE EVERYONE) -her MIL's recipes, her mom's... & always something new she wanted to try..

Day after Christmas... it was playing with our toys... & all night card games with the adults... (it was my GRANDPARENTS-PARENTS... so they were probably done by 10...but it sure felt like it was all night)

Our stockings...Oh I loved my stocking with the sequined T R E S S A... I had that stocking for years..until one year I forgot to empty it... in the Texas heat? - ya... was the last year I had that stocking...

I should really go & try to find some Christmas pictures from my childhood... I have seen some really great slideshows out there in bloggy land...

Have I told y'all how much I miss my mom & dad & sibs? .... ya... I do...

but time to shake it off & do some FUN THINGS so my kids have some good Christmas memories...

Looks like we are going to have a REALLY WHITE CHRISTMAS afterall...