It's Not Christmas Until...

I thought about doing this a few days ago, and seeing that I'm in the holiday spirit and more importantly, the writing spirit - here is a listing of what Christmas means to me. Not only what it means, but a listing of things that make it seem like Christmas to me. If none of these things exist, then it's just not Christmas to me. So here we go with the list!

It's not Christmas until...
1.) I hear the holiday music CD commericals air right after Halloween
2.) I watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
3.) Listen to my Chicago Christmas CD
4.) See the Folgers Christmas commercial
5.) Hear Bing Crosby's "White Christmas"
6.) Eat Christmas cookies and other assorted goodies that my mom makes
7.) Hear Christmas music over all of the stores' speaker systems
8.) There's a white blanket of snow on the ground (absent this year)
9.) Watch and hear the wonderful Hershey kisses Christmas commerical on TV (the new classic)
10.) Listen to the Chipmunks sing the variety of Christmas tunes they cover
11.) Watch the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (animated special)
12.) I put up the Christmas lights and my small tree
13.) Drive around looking at the Christmas lights everyone else puts up
14.) Hear the local radio station's Christmas jingle
15.) Listen to Dr. Elmo's "Grandma Got Ran over By a Reindeer"
16.) I see Garfield's Christmas Special
17.) See the "Seasons Greetings" sign up at the entrance of downtown [which hasn't been up in a few years :-( ]
18.) I walk through the Christmas decoration isles at all the stores
19.) I watch Charlie Brown's Christmas special
20.) Celebrate my mom's birthday (which is December 16th)
21.) Help put up the Christmas tree at my parents (which is usually around my mom's b-day)
22.) Receive Christmas cards in the mail
23.) Hear Burl Ives' "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas"
24.) Turn the Christmas lights on around the bulletin board at home
25.) Watch family videos of previous Christmases
26.) Listen to Bob Seger's "Little Drummer Boy" (a new favorite!)

Well...I can't think of anymore. If there are more, they are either old memories that no longer happen in current times, or they are such tiny moments that I can't remember them right now. Those are the memories that I find enjoyable and put me in the Christmas spirit. You may have your own and many are probably different. But these are especially special to me.

Merry Christmas! :-)