Things I Love About Christmas

It's officially Christmas in our house.  The tree is up, the presents are being purchased and the cards written.  Rev T is planning the Christmas service, the Carol Service, the Toddlers Christmas Party, the Food Hampers for the people who come to the food bank ... See, told you he was busy!   Ministry isn't all about Sundays.  Having talked about giving back at this time of year, I'm going to share with you what I love about Christmas.

• Church and God and Stuff.  Other people can write about this more eloquently, but ultimately this is what Christmas is about.  Emmanuel, God with us.  

• Family.  Spending time with the Tubblet and Rev T and going to see our families to celebrate Christmas is the best.  It'll be a bit weird as mum won't be there.  I keep thinking she's in another room or in the garden.  She wasn't there last year, but we were all in such a daze it didn't seem real.

• Putting the decorations up.  Rev T and the Tubblet do this.   They are tasteful and know when to put the babbles and tinsel down.  I am not tasteful and want to put up everything. Everywhere.  There is something about a bare Christmas tree though.  The creative possibilities! 

• The Radio Times and Christmas TV. Sitting down circling all the programmes you want to watch and then negotiating with the rest of the family so everyone gets a turn.  As long as I get to watch Christmas Who and Strictly I'll be pleased.  (There will be Who.  Even if it's Who on iPlayer).  

• Traditions.  Every family has them - from the time the presents are opened; what you have for dinner or whether you go for an after dinner walk.  All of them are different.  All of them are the right way to do Christmas.  One of the more challenging aspects of getting married that's rarely mentioned is working out which family traditions to keep and which to abandon in favour of new ones that you create yourselves.  

• Food.  Christmas dinner, mince pies, cake and pud. Love it! Just not all at once.  Rev T loves mince pies and has started stockpiling a stash to take him all the way to January!

• Films.  We love Christmas films.  Rev T insists on watching It's A Wonderful Life whilst I prefer A Nightmare Before Christmas.  Rev T is also very excited about Star Wars.  Very excited. When it comes to fandoms the Tubbs household is a house divided.  Rev T loves Star Wars whilst I love Who. Both of us are convinced we're right.

• Presents.  I love getting presents, but love giving them more.  It's great seeing people's faces light up when you've got them something they really wanted.  Not so keen in wrapping them.  I always end up covered in sticky tape!

• Music.  This is only in because Rev T loves Christmas music.  Once the decorations are up, the Christmas iTunes playlist comes on.  I hate it.  Bah humbug!  However through he is deselecting the Christmas songs afterwards, he always misses one or two. Slade are often telling us "It's Christmas!" in the middle of August.  

• Christmas on Someplace Strange.  There will be some posts.  Less than usual as there will also be spending time with family in places where the Internet connection is rubbish.  I will be reading and commenting as much as I can.  

If I don't see you before Christmas, have a wonderful time with you and yours.   

Well, that's what I love, but what do you love about Christmas? What Christmas traditions do you have?  Let me know in the comments.

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