Christmas doesn't come from a store?

In the spirit of Christmas I decided to post somethings that I do to celebrate Christmas. I am the biggest Christmas head in the world. Well maybe not the biggest. I don't have a light up Christmas sweater or anything. Actually I don't think I even have Christmas socks. I do have pj's though. They say Santa Baby, they're cute :o)

First my very favorite Christmas song is......

I love it!

My very favorite Christmas tradition is cookie making day which this year is this coming Saturday! My mom and my sister and my sister-in-law all make cookies together and listen to Christmas music or watch a Christmas movie. This year we're going to make some really pretty ones. I'm going to decorate them a lot. Also this year I'm going to make a Christmas cake. I'm really obsessed with making specialty cakes. So I will definitely post pictures of that once it's done.

Next of course are my favorite Christmas movies. My most very favorite is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. My daddy's family has always watched it every year on Thanksgiving. I also watch it 17 bazillion times during the holiday season

I absolutely love Elf. This is going to become the next Hogan Family tradition is to watch Elf on Christmas day.

The one next is the Grinch!

Lol, a Christmas story. My favorite part is at the end when they're at the Chinese food restraunt and the Chinese people are singing Deck the Halls to them. They're like "Deck the Harrs with barrs of horry, fa ra ra ra ra" lmao!!!

This was also the movie that made me curious enough to stick my tounge to metal in the freezer. Yeah I know, not smart but I was young, lol. I remember my mom wouldn't even help me. She said "you were dingy enough to do it!"

I also love Rudolf of course but I can never catch it when it's on TV!

I guess Friday After Next isn't technically a "Christmas" Movie but it has Christmas in it and it's hilarious!

Everybody loves Charlie Brown's Christmas

Christmas has always made me happy. It's also always made me really sensitive and always reminds me of what's important in life. The people I love and who is really important. I've definitely gotten to the age where I really could care less if I received gifts but I still LOVE buying things for others. I haven't gotten to enjoy that as much as I would have liked this year because we all know there is a money shortage :o) I don't need anything from anyone though, I just want to spend time with the ones I love.

Looking back my most favorite Christmas tradition is one that I no longer can have. That is shopping and dinner date with my daddy. We went every year just me and him. My most favorite father/daughter memory. Sometimes the thought of it makes me smile really big and sometimes the thought of it makes me horribly upset. No matter how busy my dad and I were we both always made sure every year we made time for our yearly date. Even last year when my dad was really sick he still went, no matter how many times I told him it was ok if he couldn't make it. He still went and stuck it out the whole night. I love him lots for that. I really didn't know it would be our last one. So this year in lou of my date with my dad I've decided to do some type of charity work. I think brightening someone's day that is less fortunate than me will help me get through a bad bad day. Volunteering is something I've really started to get into since he passed away. I think it's a good way to cope or to channel my sadness. I'm excited about it.

Christmas for me and for my children one day, will never come from a store. No matter how busy I get family will always come first.