Christmas Traditions

I get a little funny during the holidays. Well, I'm always a little funny, sometimes a lot funny where people laugh at my aside comments or entire rooms erupt into applause at some joke I came up with. But, by "a little funny" in this case, I mean "a tad quirky." There are just some things about the season, you know?

I bake. Like last year I baked...and baked and baked and baked SO much that my husband thought I was pregnant. No, I wasn't and no I'm not. I just like to bake when it snows, okay? I like how my house smells, I like that I can share my bake-y things and I like that I can eat as many of my bake-y things as I want when everyone else has gone to bed. So far this year, I've made so much banana bread, gingerbread, and peanut butter balls it would make your head spin! I went through our entire flour food storage last December and it's going that way again this year. So,if you are still wondering, "What on earth could I get Annie for Christmas this year?" as I know many of you are, you might consider flour. It's relatively inexpensive and it's something I would really like...and that YOU might really like a couple of weeks later in cookie-form. Which brings me to the next topic:

I'm kind of a strange person to shop for. I've been notified recently that I frustrate some people because I rarely ask for anything really cool for Christmas. It turns out that the things I like to get are not necessarily the kinds of things that people like to give. For instance, last year I seriously BEGGED my husband to get me some large plastic storage bins. He finally relented, but insisted that if anyone asked me what my husband got for me, I was supposed to say jewelry, or a fancy something else...anything but plastic storage bins. Sorry honey, secret's out! On the list this year are CD storage wallets, a new shower liner, and various colors of eye shadow(I think Shelby has those covered. Thank you, honey!) It's not that I can't purchase these things for myself, or that my husband doesn't make enough money or anything like that. I just always choose to by-pass these items. "Another time." No particular reason. I don't mean to be annoying. I just like not-cool stuff, I guess. I'm cool with that. Maybe you could be too! So, maybe if you're still thinking, "What should I get Annie for Christmas?" you could think of the top not-cool presents. I'd probably LOVE them! I could use one or two more storage bins. I'm just sayin'....

I am ALL about holiday traditions, I just have a really bad memory about those kinds of things. I swear to you, every year I have to have Shelby remind me how we do Christmas morning. As children (and truthfully, faithfully through our teenage years) we came out on Christmas morning after, and ONLY after, we heard the voice of Pee Wee Herman scream, "IT'S CHRISTMAS!!" followed immediately by dancing/singing gold-sequin-clad back-up girls and the sharp choreography of the Naval Academy Men's Choir. Having Pee Wee's Christmas Special playing while we opened presents was so strangely normal to us. It was not until I mentioned this in Relief Society about 6 years ago, when we were talking about traditions, that I realized that this was not the sort of tradition that most families take part in (I gathered this from the absolute halt in comments and the looks of 30 faces staring at me in bewilderment. I also learned that night that not everything that comes to my mind needs to be shared). While my children do watch this show during the holiday season, it is not part of our Christmas morning routine. Maybe that's why I have no idea what we DO do. I'm sure Shelby will let me know soon.

I enjoy shoveling snow. I like the way my toasty body sweats inside all my outdoor gear and I like the way, in contrast, my eyes freeze because no one's ever invented eye-mittens. I like the satisfaction of seeing the results of my hard work and being a part of that Truman Show-esque moment when every household has someone outside takin' care of business. No-you know what I mean! I like to be that person.

I still cannot successfully wrap gifts. If you pick up the one that's all crumply and has way too much tape on it--that's from me. I don't even need to make a tag. You'll just know. I have given you the gift of predictability. Merry Christmas.

Seriously, Merry Christmas.