16 days till Christmas

16 days till Christmas
December 9th
Movie of the day: A Christmas Story
This is one that has been very overplayed. Some channels find it necessary to loop it over and over the week of Christmas. It has it's merits but I remember it being quite a frightening movie. I was afraid, after seeing it that if I said something bad, someone would wash out my mouth with soap for real. The tongue stuck to the pole part scared the bajeezuz out of me. I suppose it was good to teach kids not to do that. My favorite part of the movie that we still quote to this day is the part where the lamp arrives in a box marked Fragile and Mr. Parker says “Fra-gee-lay. It must be Italian!” We quote that every time we see a box marked Fragile. lol

Christmas Carol of the day:
Feliz Navidad

Lyrics | Jose Feliciano lyrics - Feliz Navidad lyrics
Info from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feliz_Navidad_(song)
We had a version of this in middle school that went:
Feliz Navidad, Fleas on my dog, Police took my dog, I want some eggnog, I want some eggnog...
We thought we were incredibly hilarious. Anyways we didn't know the actual words. I love this one because it is incredibly festive. It just feels like a good party. :D

Christmas Trivia
(brought to you by howstuffworks.com)
How do Mexicans celebrate Christmas?
Mexicans celebrate the birth of Jesus with las Posadas, nine days of preparation during which the story of the Nativity is reenacted each day. These days lead up to Noche Buena (Holy Night) or Christmas Eve. Most families go to mass, then head home for dinner with family and friends. The highlight of the evening is placing Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene.
To prepare for the celebration, the house is decorated with pottery; bowls of fruit; brightly colored paper ornaments; colorful confetti; tinsel-trimmed maracas; star-shaped piñatas filled with oranges, tangerines, peanuts, and candy canes; red, green, and silver tablecloths; small lanterns and candles; and, of course, a Nativity scene.
The spread for Feliz Navidad includes:
Roast turkey, ham, or suckling pig
Biscayan cod
Tamales
Stuffed chili peppers
Wild greens in mole sauce
Atole (beverage made from corn)
Chili con queso with chips
Guacamole with flakes of red bell pepper "confetti"
Ensalada de Navidad (Christmas fruit salad)
Sidra (sparkling cider)
Chocolate atole (cinnamon hot chocolate)
Ponche con piquete (hot punch of fruits and cinnamon sticks)
Bizcochos (holiday cookies)
Sweet Christmas fritters
Flan
http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/games/christmas-trivia3.htm

I make ornaments every year. My mother and I started the tradition in our family to make at least one a year. Our tree is covered in an array of homemade ornaments. One kind I go back to every so often are little snowflake books. They fold flat like a book until you open them to reveal a snowflake from the side. Some years we would make ornaments out of beads or wire.
Mom and I would go out every year to look at the ornaments at Hobby Lobby and maybe choose one to add. Our tree is bursting with ornaments. They drip from the ends of each branch and some branches hold 2 or 3. If it were up to me, the tree would be up the day after Halloween but my boyfriend says “Absolutely Not! Not until after Thanksgiving!” So I wait. I put on my earphones and listen to Christmas music as early as I want. I carry the spirit of the season with me from November to February. I am always so sad when the holiday music ends the day after Christmas. We still have 3 months of winter to go. :D