I love CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year... Actually a week after October, when the leaves start to change colors... my excitement for this holiday season starts to bubble up!!! I just love this part of the year! Thanksgiving with the fam bam and the turkey... and oh my... my dad's stuffing... let me tell you... Nothing compares!

The thing I love the most is, knowing that my family will get together for a dinner around my mom's huge dinning room table. My family will laugh for hours about life and catching up. I am very blessed because unlike most families, my family is very close and there is never a fight or a situation that would make the holidays dreadful. So I thank God for that!

My little brother Steven just started his first year at WSU, so it will be awesome to catch up with him. Then Robby and Meg are so busy with school and work, that it's hard to get together with them too. Then mom and dad work on the weekends, so if it wasn't for the fact that my parents watch Mylah for me after Mylah's classes during the week. I don't think I would ever see them. So getting together with my family is one of my most favorites moments about the holidays; but my next best thing has to be the 12 days before Christmas, Secret Santa that I do.

My junior year of high school, my BBF Annience and me started this thing called Secret Santa. Basically, the 12 days before Christmas we leave presents for a family on their porch or windows or whatever ledge we can find, that won't get us caught! Throughout the 12 days, I find cute ways of expressing my love for this season and the family I choose. I always pick a family that isn't connected to me at all and normally someone that needs a little pick me up for the season. Then on the last day, I leave them a nativity scene and a note... It's been fun this year. Thank you for letting me bless you and please remember this next year for another person. Love Secret Santa "X".. Annience was "O"!

Annience moved away right after high school and I had to keep this going on by myself. I can't wait till Mylah is old enough to join me... I think this will be an amazing way of teaching what Christmas is really about. Now each year has special moments that I cherish and will always remember for years to come. However, there is a family that will forever be the family above all families... My favorite moment ever... My favorite family was a mother who had MS, lost her husband that year and she had 7 kids. Seven kids that didn't like the idea that I was secret, so they would chase me. That year, I really had to work on my 007 skills and I was in tip top shape, thanks to the workout those kids gave me! :)

Now there were a couple of nights, where I thought those kids were going to catch me. One night, I had to jump under their neighbor's porch. Mind you... I am terrified of spiders and then... not too many people rake under a porch... so dead leaves everywhere! Prefect spots for spiders to live and noise makers!!! I was freaking out but those amazing kids stayed outside for 45 minutes just watching for anything to move. I couldn't breathe normal and then I couldn't move because the leaves would make a sound. After 45 minutes the kids finally decided to give up searching for me. Then people's whose porch I was under had company show up. I was stuck under that porch another 20 minutes. I thought for sure, I was getting caught but I didn't.

Then there was another night... where the kids must of been right by the door because the second they heard something outside... the porch light flickered on and I heard feet running towards the door. SO I ran across the street and mashed myself between a car and the curb. I am so lucky no one called the cops on me!!! However, thanks to the shade of the car and me being all in black... the kids didn't see me when they came running around the car I was smashed up against. I was telling myself... "I am shade.. I am shade! Be ONE WITH THE SHADE!" I couldn't breathe because my breathe would give me away! I didn't want to look at them because I thought they would feel my eyes! It was an awesome year!!! I did make it through the 12 days without the family finding out who I was, which was awesome. None of my families ever find out who I am but I do send them Christmas cards each every. Which I think must bring a smile to their face!

So that is just a couple of reasons... why I love this season!!! Nothing compares!!!