top 10 favorite things about this christmas season

who doesn't like a "top ten" list? here's one for the holidays-- my favorite things about the 2010 christmas season:

1. celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. i'm not just putting it on my list because i'm "supposed" to, i am truly thankful to celebrate Christ's coming. this year, i followed the "Advent calendar", a daily guide for Scripture reading throughout the weeks leading up to Christmas, and it was a great way to stay focused on what Christmas is truly about. in the midst of the crazy christmas mayhem, it is a blessing to rejoice in our Savior's birth! i am thankful for the hope we have because God came as man to redeem us from the bondage of sin!
2. Verizon Friends and Family. this new plan saved our bank account from minute overage charges. for those of you in the Verizon community, make sure you add "Friends and Family" to your plan! i did and my Christmas was very merry!
3. real friends and family. every cheesy Christmas movie makes it clear-- there's no place like home for the holidays!
4. my metabolism. sounds silly, i know, but between nursing a 6.5-month-old and training for a half-marathon, i feel like (for the first time in my life), i truly can eat whatever i want. and since this girl likes eating, this girl is happy!
5. Ethan. this list is in no particular order, by the way. celebrating the Christmas season with my sweet baby boy is so fun! what a joy watching him experience the lights, music, and fun of the holidays!
6. giving Christmas gifts! how true that it's better to give than receive. both are fun, but it's great to come up with a good idea and watch it be opened with anticipation and surprise!
7. Christmas music. at church, on the radio, my iPod christmas playlist, etc...it's the most wonderful time of the year! what other holiday is an entire month devoted to special theme music?
8. Christmas cards. i love getting "real" mail (who doesn't?), and Christmas cards are no exception. it is so exciting to open the cards, take time reading them (or looking at the pictures), and display the cards on our china cabinet the entire holiday season! thanks to all who sent christmas cards!
9. waking up Christmas morning. as a kid, i remember waking up in the middle of the night on christmas eve and experiencing a moment of excitement that it was Christmas! i would sneak in the den and look at the Christmas tree with presents neatly stacked underneath, then tiptoe back into bed happily awaiting the next morning! well, the excitement is just as wonderful as an adult. yes, christmas morning is different when you have a baby to feed, but just as exciting as it's only the beginning of many years of fun christmases and special memories!
10. last, but not least, my most favorite thing about this christmas season is that, for the Thomasson family, christmas will be celebrated twice!