Do you like to make lists? At Christmas, I go a little overboard making lists. I make lists of those I want to give gifts. Then, I make lists of the gifts I’ve bought for them. I even make lists of the presents I’ve wrapped. When you have nine grandkids, a few grandkids in love, three kids and their beautiful partners in love and… well, there are always things to list. These two sweeties were my first two babies and make my list of blessings for sure.
I also make book lists since I always give all my kids and grandkids books. I asked one of the boyfriends who will be here when we celebrate Christmas if he ever read books. Sadly, he shook his head. I don’t think he was sad, but I was. I told him I needed to buy him a book, but he was definitely not excited about getting that present. My twin grandsons are probably the same way, but they’ve never actually told me that. They still get books. They probably have a stack of grandma’s book presents that have never had the first page read. But, at least, I helped some authors out by buying their books.
Back to the idea of lists. People are always doing lists. Most of the lists I do are about things I need to do or remember. Chores-to-do lists. Grocery lists. Christmas card lists. Gift ideas lists. Birthday lists. So, why not a ten joyful things about Christmas.
I first did this list on One Writer’s Journal in 2009, but here’s an updated version.
10. Doing book giveaways. One of the fun things about writing books is sometimes giving them away. You all are so good to read my words here that I want to give you a chance to be on my gift list. So, I’m doing a Christmas giveaway just for all of you. I’ll pick a winner each weekend until 2024. (Wow, doesn’t that sound like into the future?) This is and extra busy time of the year, but don’t worry. I’ll give the winners I pick each week extra time to pick a prize book. To enter, a comment here is all it takes. The first winner won’t be eligible for the other two weeks, but I’ll still love seeing your comments. Everybody else’s name will stay in the drawing. And as always, a comment on a new post means an extra entry. Deadline for all entries is midnight EST Friday, December 29, 2023. Now on to the rest of the list.
9. Christmas lights decorating everybody’s houses and yards. Everybody’s but mine. People going by might be able to see the lights of my Christmas tree through the window, but I’ve never strung lights up on the eaves. I know I’d be one of those people who didn’t get them taken down until June or something. Actually, I did string lights on a pine tree once, but I bought lights with a white cord. It looked awful. I am not a gifted decorator. Thank goodness those Christmas decorating elves showed up last night to get my inside tree up and decorated. Yay!
8. Shopping. I can’t believe I said that. I hate to shop–except for books. Maybe that’s why I want to give all my kids and grandkids books, so I can look at new and old books and see all those wonderful stories out there. So far, I haven’t bought a book for myself, but I did discover I bought a copy of a book that I already had downloaded on my Kindle. I can give that one away and enjoy the ebook myself and I am enjoying it.
7. Cookies and punch and all that sweet stuff. I miss my mom when I think about this listed item. She always made crackerjacks and six or seven types of candy at Christmas. I used to make the candy and crackerjacks too, but then I ended up eating most of it. Not good for the waistline. Now I make cookies and a little candy. My daughter is making crackerjacks this year and one of my daughters-in-law makes all kinds of delicious candy. I will make the orange sherbert punch. We’re had that punch at Christmas ever since I can remember. My aunt used to let me help her make it, and I inherited her punchbowl. That punch just tastes like Christmas to me.
6. Gifts. I like giving gifts, and it can be fun getting gifts too. The gifts don’t have to be expensive to be fun. The best gifts are those that show the person really thought about what you might like. That leaves out those books I get for some of the grandkids. I guess that’s part of my Christmas fun, not necessarily theirs. Thank goodness, most of my grandkids do enjoy getting books.
5. The Christmas Spirit. That’s the feeling that has us pitching in our change or a few dollars every time we hear the Salvation Army kettle bell. That’s the feeling that keeps us smiling while we’re standing in long lines at the stores and exchanging holiday pleasantries with the strangers behind us. That’s the feeling that keeps us remembering the true meaning of Christmas.
4. Candlelight Services. We have a great candlelight service at our church way out in the country. We used to turn out all the lights so it would be really dark. Then our pastor would light the one candle that represents Jesus bringing light into the world. We each then lit our candles from the Lord’s candle to take His light out into the world. We have the event in our fellowship hall now and while we turn off the lights, some light from the security light outside filters in the windows. But it’s still a meaningful and beautiful service.
3. Gathering with family and friends. Christmas is a great time for family visits. In our family, we feast on great food, laugh at old stories and tighten up those family ties that bind us together.
2. The excited sparkle in children’s eyes. The anticipation of waiting for Christmas morn as kids put out cookies for Santa and reindeer food for Rudolph, Donder and Blitzen and the rest. It is so much fun watching the little ones experience the joy to Christmas.
1. Hearing the Christmas story read out of the Bible. Those Bible verses that have been read countless times over the years and that I have heard almost every year of my life still sound fresh and joyful every time I hear them read. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Oh, and that reminds me of how I love singing the old Christmas carols too. “Joy to the World” is a favorite of mine and one I did a post on in 2021. Here’s the link if you want to read it.
I’m sure I overlooked some other things too, but these are ten (well, eleven) things I love about Christmas.
How about you? Share one or several of the favorite things you love about Christmas and that will get you an entry in my December book giveaway.
Oh, and if you are still thinking about a book for Christmas, you might try my In the Shadow of the River. The red cover fits right in with Christmas colors. 🙂
Comments 44
Making Christmas cookies. There is also a street near us where the houses go all out on decorating outside. We went there last year with my brother and his family who were visiting us then.
Author
Thanks to all of you who commented about your favorite things about Christmas. I had my family Christmas yesterday and have been as busy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs as I’ve heard people say. So the kids all went home and now I’m trying to catch us. I’ll be drawing my first week winner in a little bit. So if you get a new email from me, you might just be the winner.
I love listening to Christmas music—as soon as they start playing it in November!! I’ll listen as much as I can, much to my family’s dismay 😉 ! Every time I hear a song it brings back memories from as far back as my childhood and I love reminiscing about christmases past. That will get me in the mood to make my Christmas list also. Merry Christmas!!
Author
That’s great, Angie. I love hearing some of the old, familiar (at least to me) Christmas songs. The Drummer Boy is one that has me humming all day. 🙂
We had Christmas here for my family yesterday, so I had to get in the Christmas mood early.
Our church’s candlelight Christmas Eve service remains my favorite part of Christmas.
I Love being with my Adult children and my grandchildren and great grandchildren for Christmas
My family has always had German chocolate cake and fruit salad on Christmas. I don’t know when or why the tradition started, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without it.
I always look forward to Christmas Eve candlelight service and I love driving around to look at the light when snow is on the ground. Merry Christmas blessings!
I love that you still make the punch in your Aunt’s punchbowl, what a great way to carry on that tradition! I also love that you give lots of books. We make Italian cookies every year, a few varieties, because my Grandmother did and my mom, and now that they are gone it helps me to relive those memories and create new ones with my brother and nephew.
Thank you for the multiple chances to win, as well as all the chances you give for us all year!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Author
Love that, Barb. How you are carrying on the traditions of your mother and grandmother. I do remember my aunt when I make the punch each year and my mom when I cook something she did. They stay with us forever in our hearts.
I love being together with our Children, Grandchildren and now–our Great Grands! Family time together has always been important to my husband and I. With everyone being so busy with their jobs and their children, it warms my heart when they arrange their schedule’s to be at Nana’s house during Christmas holidays!!
Author
Christmas is such a special time for families, Judi. I love it when my kids and grandkids come to visit even though it can get a little crazy when everybody is here. It’s a good crazy. 🙂
One of my favorite things is getting together with family and enjoying a meal and games together. Merry Christmas Ann!
Celebrating the birth of Christ with family is the most beautiful thing this time of year. Celebrating grandkids is awesome, and this year we have a new December baby to go along with the 3 we already have….16 yrs ago we received two of them on Christmas Eve! It makes for a hectic holiday season, but aren’t the babies worth it all?! I am blessed beyond measure! Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
Author
Those babies are worth it all, Lavon. What a blessing for you and your family to welcome in a new baby this year. I used to pose the new babies under or really in front of the tree each year when the babies were coming into the family. They were always my best gift.
One of my Christmas joys is going to midnight mass each year and seeing our simple trees and pots of poinsettias gracing the altar at our church as well as hearing our beautiful choir and our priest’s homily. Just fills my heart with joy.
I write list too and try to keep track of what I have bought and wrapped as gifts. My problem is that I write my list in codes so if anyone in my family sees it they won’t know what I bought them, but then I forget what my codes mean and have to try to figure out what it is I meant. My brain doesn’t work as well as it used to. 🙂 LOL
Author
That’s funny, Hope. Sounds like something I’d do. I have been known to put the wrong gift tag on a present so that it ends up being opened by the wrong person. Haven’t done that one for a while.
It’s not that your brain isn’t working as well. It’s that you have stored so much up there that the circuits get crowded.
One of my favorite things about Christmas is just getting together with family and enjoying a meal and treats. My father just turned 99, so every time we gather at his house is special.
Author
What a blessing to have your father still with you, Susan, and still in his house to celebrate Christmas. Wishing you all the best Christmas ever.