Oh by gosh by golly
It’s time for mistletoe and holly
Tasty pheasants, Christmas present
And countrysides covered with snow!

It is the beginning of December already, and Lord knows it is my favorite month of the year!

I seriously can’t wipe the smile off my face. I just love all the hustle and bustle, the shopping and wrapping, the secrets and surprises, and the thought of a sweet baby laying in a manger.

It is just a magical time of year, and so many memories go along with it.

When I was little, Christmas was a big deal around our house. Mom was busy shopping, wrapping, making cookies, and sending out Christmas cards. We always trimmed the tree together, and Dad had an old record player and would play Alabama, Kenny Rogers, and the Carpenters Christmas records. Ya know, back when you had to flip the record over about every five songs, but Dad never minded. To this day, those albums are still my all time favorites. Every time I hear “Christmas Every Day” by Kenny or “Joseph and Mary’s Boy” by Alabama, it takes me back to being a kid at Christmas again. I can smell Dad’s trains as they rode along the track on his homemade platform. I still see in that little back bedroom that was mine, Candy Cane Lane, right out my window from Garden View. It was distant, but boy did I love being able to see it from my window on Roosevelt Ave. (I swear to this day that is part of why I am literally obsessed with Candy Cane Lane, but that’s a whole other column. Stick around!) I can hear my mom saying, “OK kids, off to bed. Santa won’t come if you aren’t fast asleep!”

Luke, my brother, and I loved to help dad put up Christmas lights. We had these red bells that lit up by our front door, and it always seemed like one was out every other night, but dad made sure all of them were twinkling. “Dad! One of the bells is out again!” I’d tell him.

Our big birch tree out front was all done up in white lights and looked so beautiful, while out back on our deck was done in color. This has been the family discussion for years! White lights or colored!? Dad loved colored lights, still does. Mom loved white lights, still does! So they did the front all in white and the back in colored. Hey, it worked, and boy was our Christmases magical every year. My parents made Christmas so special for my brother and I. I know that’s why I love Christmas so much. The memories with this time of year warms my soul. I have so many memories I could share, ones I hold dear to me. I am so thankful for that. I know this time of year isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some it brings up hard times and loss of loved ones. If you know of someone this holiday season, let’s try to make it a little brighter for them. Spread Joy. It’s contagious.

Festive Sausage Wreath

• Refrigerated Crescent Dough Butter Rolls
• Red Bell Pepper
• 1 package of Hillshire Sausage Minis (I used the cheddar ones)

Preheat the oven to the temperature specified on the package of Refrigerated Crescent Dough Rolls. Drain the liquid off of the mini sausages.

Unroll the crescent dough and separate at the perforations to create 4 rectangles. Press together the remaining perforation in each rectangle. With a knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 8 strips making a total of 32 strips.

Wrap one strip of dough around each mini sausage. Lay out the crescent-wrapped sausages with their sides barely touching on an ungreased cookie sheet in a circle forming a wreath shape.

Bake for 11-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cut a red bell pepper into a bow shape for garnish.