Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra

Thanksgiving always makes me think of Christmas movies. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because the two holidays are so close. Maybe a few connections in my brain have been a bit.... frazzled. Either way, I have thought more about A Christmas Story and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation in the past week than I usually do during the entire month of December. (Or maybe *gasp* I'm morphing more and more into a Taylor every day - let's hope that's not the case). But considering it's the day after Thanksgiving I have finally been given permission by my husband to speak of all things Christmas.

*Speaking of the day after Thanksgiving, it's my hubs birthday. Happy birthday!! Love you!* Side note: I actually hate the phrase 'hubs' or 'hubby' but 'husband' feels so formal. So I find myself stuck in between a rock and a hard place where I'm going to either be over the top or trendy. Both of which I hate. This is my life.

Our Thanksgiving was very low key this year. Just my and Ben's parents. Not too much set up, not an overwhelming amount of food to cook, no traveling. It was nice. And I have a lot to be thankful for. I asked the kids to say something they were thankful for before they ate. The answers were family, my soul and heart, and food and water. I was fully expecting something like their favorite toy or movie, which would have been fine, but my heart did swell a little at their responses. Dare I say that my kids actually have a sense of putting things in perspective and being grateful? I think I do dare.

And I would now like to take the time to say thank you to all of you. Everyone who reads this blog (whether for updates, pity's sake, entertainment) it means a lot. Those who comment - thank you. Especially on the 100th post. I can truly say I was expecting one sentence responses from everyone. I never dreamed that you would put so much thought into what you said. This blog started as a place to keep everyone updated and a way for me to process things. It has become so much more to me, and I hope to you too. Reading each comment really refreshed me. And for that I say - thank you. 

Now onto CHRISTMAS!! I thought it would be fun to list the Christmas movies that we watch every year. No, seriously. EVERY year we watch them - in their entirety. Most of them I enjoy. Most of them have their slow parts. But each year I love them more.

• National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
• A Christmas Story
• Christmas in Connecticut
• Elf
• It's a Wonderful Life
• You've Got Mail (this is a newer tradition)
• Rudolph - the original of course

I feel like there is one or two that I'm missing but I can't think of them.

The first two I had to grow to love because my first few impressions of them were .... "whaaaat?" But given I'm now a Taylor I'm pretty sure Ben had grounds to divorce me if I didn't end up 'seeing the light' as he would say. Each movie has a story behind it or a tradition of it's own. Like Christmas Vacation we watch with the whole Taylor family - we're talking parents, brothers, sisters, etc. usually the same day we pick out our Christmas trees... as a family... (really, the Taylors are a little commune all their own. You can fight against it but you'll always lose. All of us who are married in know exactly what I mean while the Taylor men say "What are you talking about???") It's a Wonderful Life Ben and I watch every Christmas Eve. I generally end up falling asleep somewhere between their honeymoon and Clarence. Elf is a new classic. I could go on and on. I won't. But I will recommend each of these movies to you if you don't usually watch them.


I'm interested in hearing any of the movies you watch each Christmas season and why. Maybe it will give me a new one to add to the list.