Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

[Actually, this was taken in my backyard quite some time ago.]

And so comes winter. It brings a lot of things along with it. First, it's the smell of Christmas trees and apple cider. It brings the feeling of a warm wool scarf around your neck. It's breathing deeply the sharp air of December, yet completely enjoying the adrenaline rush you get from it. It brings the sound of a crackling fire. It's laughing and scooping the pure, crisp snow fort he intent of pelting one's brother with snow balls. [Okay, I just had to put that in there :) ]

But then... it gets old kinda fast. January comes, and sunshinyness goes into hibernation until April. The formerly fresh air becomes stale very quickly. The wind that used to laugh and playfully toss one's scarf about becomes sharp and no longer so innocent. The darkness closes in long before we are ready [for which our parents often say, "Go do your algebra."].

And then... spring comes :) Life comes back into play. It's simply splendid. Everything seems eager to begin again. The trees are bright and bubbling over with new colors, and everything seems fresh and lively again :)

In case I don't get on til then... Have a very merry Christmas :)

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Have a very merry Christmas, everyone, and a happy new year!!!

History Lesson!!

You know the song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas''? Well, my dad told me a little something about the history of it the other night, and I went to investigate. Here's what I found
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Where to start... how 'bout at the beginning? That's a grand idear. In 1950, Jon Rox wrote the song "(I want a)Hippopotamus for Christmas" It was released in 1953, sung by ten-year-old Gayla Peevey. The song, released by Columbia Records, became a hit.
At the same time (Christmas 1953), the Oklahoma City zoo was trying to raise funds to buy they're first hippopotamus. So whenever the song played on the radio, the media, in order to raise funds for the zoo, would encourage listeners to send in their nickles & dimes to but Gayla a hippo! Over $3000 was raised, and Gayla got her hippo, Matilda. She promptly donated the baby hippo to the OKC zoo. Isn't that neat? I thought it was.

Hope it makes sense. Merry Christmas!

What is this feeling?

... I believe it's called "warm fuzzy"!! (Prepare for cheesiness)Let me elaborate:
I was on the phone, talking with my very-awesome cousin for like two hours. It was seven or eight-ish. I came down stairs when I was done... to find that my family had decorated the Christmas tree without me. Needless to say, I was quite upset. But then, (as it was my dad & brother who put most of the ornaments on...)being the perfectionist, not to mention girl, that I am, I had to rearrange almost all of the ornaments, which was almost as good. Then, listening to the "Tupperware" tape...

We turned on the tree lights. It was most lovely. It was almost like Christmas morning, the warming feeling you get. It was so... I don't know the word. "Warm-fuzzy" I guess!

Then we all ate a generous serving of peppermint ice cream (bluebell, of course) and eggnog. We the settled down to watch, "It's a Wonderful Life". But I was looking at our wonderful Christmas tree. :) That's all. Have a very merry Christmas!!

On Christmas Carols

Well a hello to all!! I was just sitting with my mother, stuffing Christmas cards, eating a "customized" trail mix (pretzels, raisins, marshmallows, and I WOULD have put chocolate chips in there but we were all out! *glares*), listening to the "All Christmas all the time" radio station, and I was inspired to write about Christmas music.

I've decided that there's basically three types:
1: The good ol', everyone knows em, traditional Christmas carols.
2: New, more contemporary, Christmas songs. (Christmas Shoes, Someone Special, Jingle Bell Rock, etc.)
3: My arch enemy. The "Updated" Christmas Carols. Where they take songs mentioned in category 1, change the timing, often certain words, and make it "Their Own". What ever.

I personally prefer the good ol', everyone knows 'em, not messed with Christmas carols. I mean, when they start messing with "Winter Wonder Land," "Here Comes Santa Clause," "O Holy Night," and countless others to the point where you can't sing along because the timing is so different then what you were expecting, you know you've got a problem. (Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the ONE and ONLY full exception, because they *generally* don't mess with the tune; they add electric guitars and what not. It's really cool =D)

Have you heard "Straight No Chaser"? It's a men's A Capella group that apparently just got back together. My big bro introduced them to me when he was home at Thanksgiving. Whilst I was stuffing Christmas cards and eating my trail mix, I heard them on the radio singing "Twelve Days of Christmas". It is probably my favorite rendition of this song that I've ever heard!! (They are, in certain cases, an exception to the category 3 rule.) Here's a link to the video of them singing "Twelve Days of Christmas":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Less than two weeks til Christmas!! =D

"O, holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
it is the night of our dear Savior's birth"