Holiday Spirit

Last Thursday, we had our school holiday program.  Nothing quite puts me in the Christmas mood like slightly tone-deaf renditions of non-denominational holiday songs such as "We Wish You a Merry Winter."  The intent was there, but I'm pretty sure if you're going to play "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" over the intercom during the art show and put a Christmas tree up in the main office, you might as well just sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Anyway, it got me thinking about all the wonderful things that make me feel like that little tangled hair girl in footie pajamas on Christmas morning when I was a kid.  A lot of them are missing now that I live in the South, where the average temperature in December is 47 degrees, but it doesn't stop me from being excited.

The Sounds
Harry Connick, Jr. and Hanson.  People are really quick to bash the Hanson CD and many will refuse to believe that their version of "What Christmas Means to Me" is better than U2's, but I will stand by that album until the day I die.

The Smells
Really cold air.  The kind of air that smells like snow.  I've only gotten a whiff of it once or twice down here, but I love that smell.

The Tastes
Everything tastes better around Christmas.  Maybe it's because people use the holidays as an excuse to eat whatever they want, but I'm not complaining.  For some reason, people seem to be carrying around high-fat goodies with them at all times, ready to pass them out to anyone that crosses their path.  My roommates and I have brought home more treats this month than any other time of year.  It's awesome.  Even the drinks are better- Starbucks Christmas blend coffee, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps, egg nog... I even made chocolate pudding shots with Bailey's and Kahlua for a Christmas party the other night.  The only down side is that a lot of these drinks are made with milk, which means your hangover is about 7000 times worse the next day.

The Sights
One word- glitter.  Everything is sparkly.  I love it.

The only thing I need now is to get up to New England and see some snow.  Real, Christmas-y snow.  Then I'll be a happy girl.  Maybe I'll even put on the footy pajamas again.