The Most Romantic Christmas Ever.

Christmas Eve. I finished the wrapping, watched "The Grinch" (the original animated version, not that horrible full-length film), had some egg nog, and made the easiest fudge in the world (1 can creamy milk chocolate frosting, 1 bag semi-sweet morsels, melted in a pan and poured into a foil-lined 8x8 pan, firmed in the fridge). At 9:30, I arrived at Michael's, where we enjoyed dinner-- which he had made. Roasted chicken and yummy ravioli filled with cheese and spinach. Then we sat in the living room and listened to the special "First Christmas" cd I had mixed just for us (see below).

Michael has never seen "It's a Wonderful Life." I, on the other hand, have watched it on Christmas Eve every year since 1979. It's my all-time favorite movie, and it was great fun to watch it with a first-timer. He loved it, and I cried several times during the movie-- something I haven't done in years.

After the film, we stood in the kitchen and talked, and hugged, and then I said, "I have something to tell you.... (wait for it, wait for it)... I love you." And he said, "Oh, and I love you, too." Then the passionate kiss, and the embrace, and the flood of joy and emotion. The rest of of the evening, we listened to the cd I made (again), then went to bed about 2:15 a.m. The dogs were with us on the bed, being their usual disruptive selves, but I didn't care. Every time one of us was awakened, we whispered to the other, "I love you." It was so beautiful, so heartwarming, so... right.

Christmas morning, I let Michael sleep a bit while I watched tv and thanked God for my blessings. Once Michael was up, we had coffee and exchanged cards (both perfect cards for the sentiment and the occasion), then gifts. I gave him the sweater I had bought him in NYC, a gift card to the Gap, and some of his favorite coffee, Starbuck's Verona Blend. He gave me a Gap gift card and a Starbuck's gift card. It was so sweet and simple and un-pretentious. I left to go home, take care of Bailey, and to go to my brother's for the family gathering.

My family numbers 19-- Mom and her husband, sister and her husband and 2 kids, older brother and his wife and 6 kids, younger brother and his wife and 2 kids. It's always chaos during the opening of presents; fortunately, we don't do a meal. We all bring hors d'ouevres and/or desserts and graze around the food whenever we're hungry. I managed to have a few moments to tell my younger brother and his wife about Michael (now the whole family knows), and my mom even asked me how it was going and how we spent our Christmas. She seemed genuinely interested... although I didn't share the part about professing our love. She'll know soon enough, and I'm sensible enough to edit where necessary.

My sister had drawn my name in the family grab bag, so it was more Gap gift cards and Crate & Barrel, too! I now have $150 in Gap gift cards... everyone was way too generous.

After leaving brother's, I returned to Michael's, picked him up, and we went to the home of a co-worker of his. They had invited us for Christmas dinner, and it was quite lovely. Here was this family of about 12 who welcomed us in, and we sat at the table and enjoyed a big ol' Christmas dinner. I knew I liked them when someone, during the toast, mentioned that 2008 would be Bush's last year in office, and everyone cheered. There was no judgement on anyone's part, and I felt as though they were really happy for me and Michael. We sneaked out after an insanely large cannoli cake was sliced and served.

The holiday came to a close with cuddling on the couch, kissing, and saying, "I love you" over and over. I got home about 10:30, and I had the best night's sleep I've had in a long time.

FYI... the "First Christmas" cd included the following songs:

1. "Just in Time for Christmas" Nancy LaMott

2. "In the End" Kevin McMahon

3. "Here & Now" Jana Stanfield

4. "That's the Way I Feel About You" Jana Stanfield

5. "Let's Fall in Love This Christmas" John Berry

6. "We Can Be Kind" Nancy LaMott

(all of the above titles available on iTunes)

Christmas Songs.

I am a member of ASCAP, something I am extremely proud of. As yet, I have not had a hit song off of which I can make a bundle, but perhaps someday. Anyway, I receive the monthly newletter from ASCAP, and there was an interesting article about Christmas songs I thought I should share.

ASCAP'S TWELVE SONGS OF CHRISTMAS KEEP SLEIGH BELLS JINGLING Radio Stations Playing More Chipmunks' Holiday Music to Coincide with Big Screen Debut

New York, NY, December 13, 2007: Twelve days left to Christmas may conjure for some people an image of a partridge in a pear tree. For the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), however, today marks the release of the top 12 most played holiday songs of 2007, tracked by radio airplay monitoring service Mediaguide from over 2,600 radio stations nationwide. And, just in time for the blockbuster movie release, ASCAP has also tracked the very special holiday anthem attributed to chipmunks: "The Chipmunk Song: Christmas Don't Be Late." The top 12 most-played holiday songs in the ASCAP repertoire so far this holiday season are:

1. "Sleigh Ride" (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) - played 133,264 times
2. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) - played 126,638 times
3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) - played 99,687 times
4. "Jingle Bell Rock" (Joseph Carleton Beal, James Roth Boothe) – played 96,162 times
5. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – played 90,434 times
6. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (Edward Pola, George Wyle) - played 90,030 times
7. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Johnny Marks) - played 82,308 times
8. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (Johnny Marks) - played 69,436 times
9. "Silver Bells" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) - played 68,665 times
10. "Frosty the Snowman" (Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins) - played 68,252 times
11. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" ( Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram) - played 63,959 times
12. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) - played 59,390 times

Note: The above list represents an aggregation of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song.

I posted earlier about Christmas songs I hate, and only one of my most hated appears here. Number 8. The Burl Ives version that is not from "Rudolph." Blecch. My most favorite Christmas song? Number 3. Any version, but especially Judy Garland's. (Yeah, I'm so gay.)

My Famous Drink Recipe

The holidays are coming, and people are always looking for a good specialty drink for parties. This is one I made up, called the Dougsicle. It tastes just like a Dreamsicle... all orange-y and vanilla-ish. Yum!

2 parts Sunny Delight (NOT orange juice!)

2 parts Swiss Cream Soda (clear is best, but A&W's, though dark brown, works)

1 part vanilla vodka

Chill all ingredients. Serve over ice.

This one is always a hit with my guests.

I Love Christmas, But....

Okay, I'm all about the holidays. Really. Love the decorating, the merriment, the good cheer, the ho ho ho, and all that.

But I'm more than a little concerned that WLIT 93.9 (the Lite here in Chicago, currently called the Christmas Lite or the Holiday Lite) started playing Christmas music around November 1. I'm concerned because I'm already getting tired of the stuff. Granted, I get out my Christmas CD's pretty early-- I have so many that I need to start playing them now so I can get to them all-- but it seems that WLIT has a limited amount of music. I have tuned in a couple of times and, regardless of the day or time, I have heard a lot of the same songs.

This reminded me to blog about my least favorite holiday songs. WLIT, if any of you are reading this, please stop playing these! In no particular order:

1. The Christmas Shoes : treacly, country crap

2. Holly Jolly Christmas : it's a folk-rockabilly version, with Burl Ives singing the song that was much more tolerable in the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tv special. This version grates.

3. Feliz Navidad : with all due respect to Mr. Feliciano, how about a verse or two with some actual lyrics? The repitition and manic loudness of this song make it unbearable.

4. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas : whether it's a hippo or your two front teeth that you want, no one cares, child. Shut up.

5. Wonderful Christmas Time : Sir Paul McCartney, you owe the world a big apology for this one.

Time for Christmas Memories!

How about this for warm and fuzzy?