A One Horse Open Sleigh

 
For Christmas Eve I finally got to take a horse carriage ride through downtown Denver, I have always wanted to do that. I went with my mom, B, Chase, and my two cousins. It was very fun (but unfortunately I am terribly allergic to horses and I got the sneezes!)







Also, just because I was thinking about it a lot, here are some of my favorite past Christmas memories:
- Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house (they used to have homemade candy and Fannie Mae and eggnog and pinecones that you throw into the fire that burn different colors and baby's breath in their tree and lots of good snacks and sparkling cider and we did a big gift exchange and everyone would be there, it was amazing)
- Crazy busy family get togethers with loud kids all opening presents and throwing paper around at the same time
- Stockings - need I say more - they would all be lined up along the fireplace because they were too heavy to hang - my parents always used to put an orange in the toe of the stocking...
- Big Christmas meals with all of the family (kids tables - basically card tables that all the kids would sit at) - we used to fight over the gravy boats - is there ever enough gravy - I would always make a little mashed potato pool to pour my gravy into
- My mom used to always make amazing homemade rolls for big family meals
- French silk pie (although that is something that I have come to appreciate more and more recent years - when I was little I liked pumpkin with tons of whipped cream)
- My parents used to get us a Christmas ornament every year, I love decorating trees! Real ones are my favorite but fake ones are so convenient
- I think my most memorable Santa present was the year I got an American girl doll (Felicity)
- Snow (not sure that this is a Christmas memory or just a general winter one) sometimes my siblings would make amazing snow things...one year we tried to make an igloo / cave type structure
- Hot chocolate with little marshmallows and hot cider (although like the French silk pie the cider may be a new love)
- We used to have giving days in our family where a few days before Christmas we would start giving gifts and each person would have a day where it was their turn to be the one to give gifts out
- This is definitely a new one and I partially blame Capricious for it - Little Debbie Christmas Trees

Now that I actually look at my happy memories in writing I guess most of my memories revolve around family and food =)

I think I am just a holiday lover in general. I hope Chase ends up having happy holiday memories too.