Fa-La-La Favorites!

Wow! I can't believe that it is almost Christmas! Where has December gone?

Remember the Photo Trash Cans that I posted about last time? They were a hit. A huge hit. My friends loved them. Now I'm excited to do more things like that (tabletop? memory box? shelf?).

I decided that for this Fa La-La Friday post, I would share some of my holiday favorites with you (including a recipe and a craft idea... keep reading!). This is what my family likes to do each and every year. What are some of your favorites?

Favorite Cookie
Peanut Butter Kisses- these couldn't be easier. Start out by making some peanut butter cookies. You can use the store bought roll of dough or make your own family recipe. Up to you. Then while they're in the oven, start unwrapping Hershey Kiss candies. You won't have time to unwrap later, so do it now! Once the cookies come out of the oven, imediately (as in, before they even come off of the baking sheet) pop a Kiss onto each cookie. Let cool as usual. Enjoy!

Favorite Movie
There are a lot of good holiday movies out there. But my all time favorite is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love the Christmas Spirit that just oozes from every second of the movie. I love the fuzzy green guy. But most of all, I love the message. "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more".

Favorite Song
The Christmas Shoes, by Newsong. Mostly because it is just a beautiful (and tearjerking) song. But also because when I was younger (10-12ish), my three best friends and our mamas went to like 3 (maybe more) Newsong concerts. They played this song at every one. Even the one that was in the middle of July. Those concerts gave us girls some amazing memories. Here's a link if you haven't heard it. Warning: Have a tissue!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a_Y1wAJ2MU

Favorite Decoration
Our tree. It's a special tree. My grandma bought it and had it for several years before giving it to us. It was at our old house and we still have it at our current house. It's not like other trees. It's fuller than most trees you see these days. Like really, really, really, really full. It's the fattest, fullest tree I've ever seen. And I love it. It has plenty of room for all of our ornaments. They're all pretty special, themeselves. I love getting the boxes out each year and looking at the ornaments again and remembering all of the special memories that each one has. My mom's favorite is the handprint reindeer that I made in preschool. Wanna make one with your kids? It's simple! Just paint their hand brown and have them make a handprint on paper. Add googly eyes and a construction paper nose. The fingers are the antlers. Make sure to date it! We also have a ton of Hallmark ornaments. My grandma buys each of us a new one every year. Last year, she got me a kitty cat themed one since it was Bella's first Christmas. I love it! But not nearly as much as I love our special, special tree.

Well, friends, that's all for now. I hope that you have a great CHRISTmas weekend!