So, we are 1 day away from my favorite holiday of the year and I am sure that some of you feel the same. For some of us we didn’t have solid family traditions, Chinese takeout on the way to midnight service was a part of your holiday (my mom and I did this one year) and for other, there are generations of traditions to pull from. No matter if you sit down with a feast made for a king or visit a drive thru and eat while driving around looking at lights, Christmas is special to people in different ways.

These are some things that I must do in order to feel that Christmas is complete:

Matching Christmas PJs or any Christmas PJs at all– I hated having to match my cousin who was three years my junior, and as I got older, Christmas pjs from my mom for myself and daughter every couple of years.

Classic Movies-

It’s a Wonderful Life– is a must. I can’t imagine Christmas happening without it. It is the best example of the Christmas story of course besides the birth of Jesus. It shows sacrifice for the greater good and that there may not be immediate rewards but they are worth the wait and the effect is long lasting. “Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets it’s wings”. Jimmy Stewart’s performance here is one to admire for a milenia and beyond.

A Charlie Brown Christmas- was so exciting as a kid in the 80s and even up until now. I remember having to have everything perfect, snacks and the right pjs in order to sit down for this short Christmas special that was big on meaning. Linus’ speech about the true meaning of Christmas from Luke and Charlie Brown being himself, with disappointments galore are a perfect recipe of humility and nostalgia that makes this a must watch. I think at one time in our lives we can all relate to Charlie Brown’s sense of failure and then later we feel redeemed. The Vince Grimaldi soundtrack and the spindly Christmas tree is forever etched into my soul.

Home Alone– Let’s face it. There is nothing John Hughes can’t do. And when this now classic, came out in the early 90s, it was a movie that stood out from all previous Christmastime films. It was the first Christmas movie that had a child as a lead that was funny and entertaining for the whole family and appropriate without being over the top like A Christmas Story.

Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas- I can’t say enough about this Jim Henson jewel. This came out in the 80s exclusively on HBO and my mom and I were hooked from the moment we saw it. I bought it on VHS and later DVD and now I watch it every year with my daughter and my best guy. It is the quintessential story at where one person sells or gives up something that they care so much about in order to give to their loved one. The music, the scenery and the message is enough to melt the heart of the greenest Grinch and the sourest Scrooge.

Honorable Mentions:

The Preacher’s Wife

Polar Express

The Holiday

Reading Important Stories-

Luke‘s account from the Bible

A Christmas Carol

Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Little Book of Christmas Joy’s

Visiting Favorite Sites:

The D.C. Botanical Gardens

White House Tree on the Ellipse

Neighborhood Garden Center

Last but not least:

Being with the ones who mean the most

What do you do on Christmas to put a smile on your face?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

~simply

Dee