12 Random Christmas Facts

I was tagged by Sherry for 12 random Christmas facts, so here goes!

1. My dad made a rule that my mom can’t listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving so now it’s become a tradition that I give her a brand new Christmas CD each Thanksgiving morning.
2. I have an ornament from my Mormor and Morfar for the first 18 years of my life (it was one of the most anticipated moments when we opened their big Christmas box) and even though my parents mailed them all to me, I only put up some of them because I feel bad having all the ornaments on our tree have my name on them. as a result, our tree is pretty naked.
3. We’d always open one present of our choice on Christmas Eve and then wait and open the rest Christmas morning
4. I always throw a Christmas party. Even when I was in high school we’d invite everyone from church over, I love being together with all my friends and family during the holidays!
5. I love the huge old-school Christmas lights for outside on the house—forget the icicles, I like the classic look!
6. Santa always gave us one gift each, and they’d all be laying by the tree in the morning wrapped in different paper than any others under the tree and never had my parents handwriting on the label.
7. I make a point to wear red or green on the last day of work/school before the holidays, I’m a huge nerd!
8. My favorite Christmas song is when Judy Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. I almost always tear up when I hear it.
9. Justin doesn’t open a single Christmas card because he waits for me to get home since he knows how much I love getting them and opening them!
10. All four kids would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out a candle before eating breakfast every Christmas morning
11. Christmas Eve was planned out by the minute practically, everything was tradition and always the same and I cherished knowing exactly what the day had in store: we went out for Christmas Eve breakfast (usually to Cracker Barrel, Will’s favorite) came home and finished wrapping each others gifts and enjoyed everyone’s company. We would watch a Christmas movie (almost always Miracle on 34th Street, the remake), have rice and cinnamon for dinner and wait anxiously to see who would get the almond (according to Swedish tradition whoever gets the almond in the batch would have good luck for a year, but in my family that almost always meant bad luck, go figure!), go to our neighbor’s Christmas party where we’d spend time with our second families, then go home open one present, then all the girls go slumber party in Will’s room and wait for Santa.
12. Christmas Eve services at my family’s church (Loveland Nazarene) were the best—so beautiful! It’s a small church community so you know everyone and at the end of the service they dim the lights, everyone lights a candle and we sing a carol or hymn acapella. It was just incredibly comforting.

Even though Christmas is around the corner I tag Jenn, Wally and Erin