a nostalgic christmas

I live with a scrooge. Well, not really, but Matt refused my request to take Carson to see Santa last night! He said it’s too soon, but I said he was nuts.

I have always been a huge fan of Christmas, and as I get older, the nostalgia really sets in. For instance, I asked a coworker yesterday where the “real Santa” was around here. She probably thought I had lost it, but most native Richmonders would know what I was talking about.

I grew up going to the “real Santa” at Miller and Rhoads and have the most wonderful memories of doing so. We would dress up, go downtown, wait in ridiculous lines, and then the big momentwould come. After being greeted by the Snow Queen, I would be awed by Santa as he called me by name and listened as I handed him my perfectly crafted Christmas list. Afterward, we’d check in with Bruce the Spruce (the talking Christmas tree) and head on to tea and reindeer cake with Santa. I am convinced that somewhere here in the Raleigh-Durham area, the real Santa Claus must be found!

Other Christmas memories include…

• Having to wait at the top of our stairs for my parents to “make sure Santa came” every Christmas morning before we raced downstairs to check out all of our loot.
• Wild Christmas eve gatherings with my mother’s side of the family
• Nativities. My mom would always have a number of nativities set out, and I can vividly recall spending so much time arranging and rearranging those little figurines. These days, I am loving the beautiful nativity set that was given to us by my mother in law a couple years back.
• My dad getting frustrated every single year putting up our fake tree. I don’t know why this is a good memory for me, but it makes me smile. Sorry, dad.
• Christmas movies. Well, actually only two stand out in my mind- One Magic Christmas (remember this one Libby??) and the classic Rudolph movie.
• The food! Oh, the food! From Ukrops coffee cakes on Christmas morning to “chinese dingalings” and sweet potato casserole, everything about Christmas just tastes great!

I admit that this post has been about as self-indulgent as they come, but it all flows from my overwhelming excitment that comes from this most wonderful time of the year!