My Favourite Things About Christmas

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. As November starts to draw to a close, I start looking forward to the buzz that starts to fill the air as Christmas draws near. Holidays start to seem just a hop-skip-and-jump away and the summer days start to feel lazy, even on work days.

Here are my favourite things about Christmas:

• Christmas Carols
  My folks have a Christmas CD called Carols by Kings which we would put on every year and this would also indicate that it was time to decorate the Christmas Tree! Every year I look forward to listening to this CD (and others) full of Christmas Carols.
  

• Decorating the Christmas Tree
  What's not to love about getting your Christmas tree up - when combined with carols and some awesome decorations, an afternoon of Christmas Tree decorating is an afternoon well spent!
  

• Family Time
  As a kid, I always took for granted the time I spent together with my immediate and extended family. Now that I'm older and living far from my folks, Christmas time means that I can spend some time with my family, reconnecting and catching up with everyone.
  

• The Feel of Holidays
  This time of the year, the coastal regions become crowded beyond belief and everywhere else feels like ghost towns. Either way, the long summer days and evenings feel as if they will go on forever, which is such a great feeling.
  

• Making and Wrapping Up Presents
  When I was younger, mum often organised for us to make Christmas presents for our family members. I've carried this through to present day and usually have a combination of handmade and shop-bought gifts. I love sitting with a pile of presents in front of me, ready to be wrapped. Firstly because it means I don't need to worry about any more Christmas shopping (or present making) and secondly it means I get to make my presents look awesome!
  

• Delicious Food
  Christmas is always a good excuse to get creative with food as well as revert to some old favourite dishes. One of my old favourites is the cherries and pineapple from a delicious ham.