I’m not a scrooge.

Really, I’m not.

But…

When my backyard looks like this 2 weeks before Christmas?

It’s hard to catch the Christmas spirit.

The “spirit” usually hits me right after Christmas. When it’s cold and sometimes even snowy here.

Last year, it was 2 days after Christmas. Yup, snow in Tucson. Lots of it.

I was completely covered with Christmas spirit on December 27, 2008.

Yes, I am aware that my “watermark” says 2009. That’s because I am tired and don’t feel like fixing it. We’re friends here. I know you’ll understand.

Because for me, cold, snowy weather = Christmas.

It’s what I grew up with.

Anyway, the point is…

I need some help.

In the form of Christmas music.

On the way home tonight, the boys and I were singing our hearts out to our Christmas playlist.

It worked so well for us that I thought I would share.

Christmas Favorites – Mom’s edition

*Not all songs are available as MP3 downloads. If I couldn’t find the particular song to link to, I linked to the album and you’ll have to scroll down and look for “Listen to Samples”*

1. We Wish You The Merriest – Frank Sinatra (The best Christmas song ever… in case you’re wondering)

2. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin

3. Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses (Did you know that the waitresses are not all women? I did not know that until now)

4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin

5. A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

6. Party for Santa – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (The cutest song I’ve come across in quite a while. I dare you to not sing along.)

7. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

8. Winter Wonderland – Dean Martin

9. Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Complete tie between Bruce Springsteen & Frank Sinatra

10. Sleigh Ride – Ella Fitzgerald

Christmas Favorites – Michael and Jack’s edition

1. Up on the Housetop – Gene Autry (You just can’t beat hearing the kids sing along to this with their Ho-ho-hos and Click-click-clicks)

2. Is Zat You, Santa Claus? – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Again, the sing along is the best part)

3. The Chipmunks Song – The Chipmunks (Single-handedly the most annoying song I have ever heard. Personally speaking.)

4. Frosty the Snowman – Gene Autry

5. A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

6. Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Frank Sinatra

7. Mr. Heat Miser – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

8. Must Be Santa – Brave Combo

9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry

10. Run Run Rudolph – Chuck Berry (Jack’s favorite…  I just don’t get it…)

So, are you in the spirit yet??

*Yes, these are affiliate links. Not because I get paid big huge bucks to link through to Amazon, but if we’re being honest here, I like to see how many people click on them. Because I am a dork like that.*

-When your middle is getting a little thick from the lack of exercising you’ve been doing (because of your stupid feet), Thanksgiving isn’t necessarily a welcome holiday. But that won’t stop you from eating WAY too much.

-While waiting in a dark deserted parking lot for your Black Friday date to show up, you might be scared to death by a strange car pulling up next to you. But it’ll just be your date’s Grandma picking you up because said date decided to forego sleep and shop all night instead of getting up at o-dark-30 like the rest of us crazy people. That’s just a whole ‘nother level of crazy, if you ask me.

-And Grandma might decide to wake you up by driving in the bike lane and trying to run red lights while on the way to meet that crazy shopping friend. Then laugh about how it might possibly end up on your blog.

-But you’ll fall in love with Grandma despite the crazy driving. Because in the end, we all arrived safe. And because she’s adorable. Because she called our breakfast waitress a dimwit.

-I learned that if you wake up 3 hours early on Black Friday to go shopping, you’ll be really tired by 4 p.m.

-But those amazing pajamas that you splurged on during the sales will make you want to stay up later just because they’re so. unbelievably. comfortable. (And they’re on sale! Click on over!)

-I learned that taking your boys out to a fancy restaurant (fancy because they have cloth napkins) to celebrate your birthday (a few days early) may not seem like the best idea you’ve had all year.

-Because a certain boy might lay down at the table. And kick his brother.

-And then play hide-and-seek with his sweatshirt. (Note the change of seat)

-And then while Mom is in the bathroom, Daddy and the boys might play with the camera.

I can’t take them anywhere.

-I learned that in Arizona, when you see an advertisement for snow at a shopping mall, it’s really “snow.” That means that it’s foamy bubbles that look like snow. But this little guy couldn’t tell the difference, obviously. And it was a blast.

If money grew on trees and I bought myself a fancy SLR camera for my big day, you probably would have been able to see the “snow” in this picture. But it doesn’t. And I didn’t. And you can’t.

-Most importantly, I learned that dinner in a fancy restaurant with amazing friends + silly pictures + snow falling from the sky + hot chocolate + walking up the down escalator + sliding down banisters + doing some hands-on Christmas list research = an awesome, awesome pre-birthday celebration.

See for yourself:

So, what did YOU learn this week?

*I think I should mention that I didn’t get any free pajamas for posting a link to Dillard’s. But if any of you are looking to give away a pair or two, I would write amazing reviews on them…*

36 sleeps until what?

You don’t know?

Really?

I bet you do…

Is your list made yet?

Mine is.

But I can’t show you this year’s list…

Some of you might be on it.

I am a bit compulsive obsessive organized with my Christmas shopping list.

I want to make sure that I don’t leave anyone out.

And I have been known to buy gifts for people that have already been “taken care of” (in the gift-buying sense, not the Mafia sense).

So, a few years ago, I devised a plan.

Take a peek:

First, I put everyone’s name down that we need to buy for.

I know that we don’t need to buy for anyone, but you know what I mean.

Then, I find the perfect gift. And I type it below their name in green. or red. or whatever color I’m feeling that year.

I take my trusty list out with me wherever I go. When I find the gift, I cross it off.

This is the fun part. For me, anyway. Because I’m a dork.

When I get back to my house, I edit my list (because I like things to be perfect like that) and the purchased gifts are changed to black.

Hopefully, if things go as planned, I will have a black Christmas list by December 20th.

I LOVE black Christmas lists.

For more Works for me Wednesday ideas, go visit Kristen at We Are THAT Family.

I keep seeing all these blogs with adorable pictures of people and their kids in past years’ Halloween costumes. We have had a lot of fun with halloween around here, and I thought I would play along.

There’s also a chance to win a Flip video camera, so even better!

Definitely not the best picture I have of Michael, but the only one I was able to take before Steve saved him from this Dumbo costume.

If you can’t dress your kids up in ridiculous costumes for their first Halloween, then what fun is having a kid?

Yes, we skipped a year here. Michael refused to wear a costume when he was one. Probably because of the Dumbo flashbacks. This is the year that he wanted to be a “fire truck.” Not a fireman, the whole truck. So, he painted most of this himself and we even found cute blinking lights to go on it. Adorable!

Mommy and Daddy played dress-up this year, as well. We went to a party with some of our closest friends as the Dukes of Hazzard. That’s Bo (or Luke -I get them mixed up) and Cooter up there. Thank god those nasty teeth were retired at the end of the night.

2003 was a year that Michael didn’t care to get his picture taken, so we have none. Moving right along…

2004 was our first year with 2 boys, so we had to do something fun. Michael was a fireman and Jack was his Dalmatian. Even on Aunt Jen’s lap, Michael was a very. serious. fireman. Can you tell?

Again, Halloween is no fun if you can’t dress your kids up! This year, Michael was a policeman and Jack was the robber. They were a good pair!

We dressed up as a family in 2006 for our First Annual Halloween Party (80’s theme). Mrs. PacMan and her ghosts. Aren’t they the cutest ghosts?

2nd Annual Halloween Party (Mardi Gras theme) and can you believe that I don’t have any pictures of the kids? I feel awful. Michael was a policeman (again) and Jack was Henry the train. Actually, Henry is still hanging in his closet… Maybe I can get him to try it on for a picture…

Iron Man and Scream – This is the first year that Michael wanted to be something spooky! How lucky are we that we get to wear flip flops during this time of the year? Notice how Mom ran out of creativity splurged for store-bought costumes this year?

And Mom and Dad were pirates looking at 40 (and 30, respectively) for the Margaritaville themed 3rd Annual Halloween Party.

And since we’re I’m talking about dressing our kids up in funny costumes, let’s have a “Blast From the Past” moment here… shall we?

Michael was born in Japan, and we received this outfit as a gift. He obviously wasn’t happy about wearing it, but like I said before, what’s the fun of having kids if you can’t dress them up?

And friends, this old-school scanned photo is the bane of Michael’s existence. Seriously. He saw it a few weeks ago for the first time and I thought he was going to cry because he was so embarrassed. So, for my everyone’s sake, let’s keep this between us, ok? Well, until it goes in his high-school yearbook in a few years.

For more “ghosts,” visit Angie at SevEn cLoWn CirCuS.

A quote from Jack:

Mom’s been sick all week, so sorry for the late post!