X-Mas... BRING IT ON

It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it's bright blue skies and 75 degrees out. When you see people Christmas shopping in shorts it's just a little sad. But us SoCal people push through it and make it as holiday like as possible. The teenager and I decided to partake in some gingerbread house making yesterday afternoon. I have to tell you that it is a gingerbread house or you might think it's the remains of some sort of gingerbread/frosting/candy bomb...

It looks like I set a couple of preschoolers loose with a gingerbread house kit! But no, that was the skilled work of an adult and a teenager. I think I may have to break out of the whole housewife gig and start making a business out of these babies. Just look at the artistry on the windows...

It takes finesse to get results like that. And did you get a good look at the snowman in the front? If it could speak it would say I'm going to kill you while you are sleeping "this glorious gingerbread house is what Christmas is all about." Can't you tell?...

There are a lot of things that I like at the holidays but my family doesn't have a lot of traditions. I do have two that I am starting this year though. One is to do a puzzle on Christmas day. I don't think there is any better puzzle than this to kick it off...

The freaking leg lamp.. YEAH! I swear I'm actually going to order one for next year! Nothing is more Christmas-y to me than A Christmas Story. That is one tradition we have had for years. Doesn't everyone watch that on Christmas Eve? I love that movie so much. On Friday my son and I were talking about it and we decided we should go out to Chinese food and pretend is was because our Christmas turkey was ruined by the Bumpus hounds. We were laughing so hard. I'm sure everyone in the restaurant thought we were nuts or on drugs. We were very tempted to ask the owners to sing Deck The Halls but that would have officially been unleashing the crazy and we weren't up for it. Oh how we become obsessed with that movie at this time of year. We are even bound and determined to make it to the house one of these days. 

Another movie tradition is Christmas Vacation. I think the one-liners are what we like the most. I never get tired of that movie.. ever. The hubs and I literally laugh ourselves into tears when Eddie is outside in his shorty short robe, fur hat, smoking a cigar and holding a beer while emptying the sewage out of his tenement on wheels.. and says "shitter's full!" Don't ask me why that is our favorite part. I'm sure we are a little unbalanced or something. Every year I threaten to expect the hubs to turn our house into a Griswold Christmas light spectacular and every year he laughs and tells me to have fun with the ladder. Men!

I have also decided my new way to holiday shop. I am buying everything within three days of Giftmas. I usually start buying in October. That ends up meaning that I over buy since I had almost three months of store grazing. It also isn't fun to buy gifts without the mall decorations and the crowds, I have discovered. I hauled the teenager to the mall with me last night and I LOVED it. You could feel the panic in the air. You could smell the money. Plus, it's not fun to spend money here and there over a few months. I would much rather head to the mall and drop a grand or two and leave on a shopping high that has me giddy. Fun times I tell ya.

Well my last newly imposed Christmas tradition has to do with a purchase during the aforementioned fantastic Christmas chaos at the mall last night...

 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? A cookbook featuring Twinkies??!! How could I leave that on the shelf? So.. every Christmas were are now going to make some sort of Twinkie monstrosity. Some people decorate cookies.. we roll Twinkie style in the OC. Let's see, should we dare some Twinkie sushi?...

 

Creative with the fruit rolls-ups but I'm not feeling it. I'm thinking maybe the Twinkie pancakes fit the bill...

 

There are certain things in the book where I must draw the line! Some things are just wrong. Some things have no business being used together in a sentence let alone be a chapter in a cookbook!!...

I do have one thing scarier than that to share though. Last night on our way home from the mall the teenager looked at me and said "ya know, in about two years I'll have my license and I can drive you all over the place... including CRAZY!"... Dude, I'm already there.

Comments

[Cayli]

I LIKE the house! In all of it's crazy slapped together style.

Hey, "shitter's full" is also a family favorite in my house.

Twinkies and meat!?! Yikes. Even the sushi is gross.

Have a very Merry Chirstmas, Megann!

[flutter]

oh the leg lamp is so fraageelay!

[Jen]

The house is awesome! And so is the Twinkie book. I might need to get that! I want Twinkie sushi! :)

Merry Christmas!

[Dawn]

Those are our favorite movies too! Even got my hubby the ornaments...hadn't seen the puzzle..now I need to get the puzzle and the converse tennies! Thanks Meg! Ugh though I hate Twinkies...gag! Hubby eats them and I gag everytime! Have a great holiday!

[Hilari]

CONFESSION: I have never seen A Christmas Story all the way through from start to finish. Aah. How nice it is to get that off my chest finally. No more pretending! FYI - Hallmark has Christmas Story ornaments - probably half off now.

And I think that gingerbread man should have a dagger for the full effect.....

[Jill]

I'm all in for the last minute shopping, too. Not because I'm lazy and don't think about it until it's almost too late. I think, I plan, I make decisions...but there's something about dropping a whole lot of cash quickly that really sort of gets me going, you know? And I don't even have to feel bad about it, because it's "Christmas". LOVE it!! And I really truly do enjoy the festive atmosphere. (And you need it, with 75 degree weather! LOL)