Here we are, another year gone by. Christmastime is here! I long for this time of year.

I’m patiently, and I mean patiently, waiting for snow. I’m like a little kid when we get that first snowfall of the season. As of today, November 18th, there hasn’t been a flake to fall!

With Thanksgiving being late this year, I was already getting ripped off a whole week of enjoying Candy Cane Lane. Some snow could really help make up for this! All you winter haters are probably like, “Noooo!” I’m sorry, but there is nothing like a White Christmas.

It’s one of those simple joys.

Christmas is such a magical time of year. To the snow, twinkling Christmas lights, a crackling fireplace, and Christmas music. How about the Christmas tree standing in the corner of a room at night, and it’s the only thing lit? It just makes you feel some sort of way. The sound of children’s laughter in December, knowing they are just waiting on the excitement of Santa’s arrival. I honestly still get excited thinking about it. Like Kenny Roger sang it best — Christmas is for kids.

This song takes me back to Christmas when I was little, and it happens to be one of my favorite Christmas albums to this day. It played on our record player for many Christmases. I still have the vinyl record today and sometimes place it up in my vintage Christmas area for a decoration during this time of year in our home.

Every song on this album brings back nostalgia for so many wonderful Christmases with my parents, little brother, grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins. Christmas mornings going over to Pappy and Grammy Perry’s, Dwain and Margaret Perry, were some of the best Christmases. But this Kenny Roger’s song always, ALWAYS takes me back to their house on Christmas day. I can picture it all in my head. I can smell their house. I can see the Christmas table full of festive, delicious treats that Grammy worked so hard to prepare. I see the tinsel on their tree and the gifts underneath it. The song “Kids” goes like this.

Kids, kids, Christmas is for kids
Look around, and you will see
Kids from one to ninety-three
Laughin’, lovin’ life and bein’ kids

Kids, kids, Christmas is for kids
Kids like you and little brother
Aunts and uncles, dads and mothers
Grandma, grandpa, an’ all the other kids

Daddy runs the ‘lectric train
While all the children wait in vain
To take their turn
At playin’ engineer
(This always reminded me of my dad and his electric train. Plus, my pappy had one, too, so I picture their train tracks and everyone wanting to take turns playing engineer!)

Grandpa pinches Grandma’s cheek
And all the family sneaks a peak
And suddenly
Their wrinkles disappear
(Pap and Gram were so cute with each other. This was my grandparents.)

Take a look at Betty Joe
Underneath the mistletoe
Pretending that
She doesn’t know it’s there
(This part always reminded me of my cousin Danielle Perry Parker. It’s definitely something she would have done. She’s always had a fun personality like this. And as a kid, I swore it was Danny Joe, not Betty Joe, and I always thought of Danielle. I could see her doing this to her boyfriend at the time, now husband, Jeremy Parker.)

And in the front yard, Uncle Mike
Just fell off brother’s brand-new bike
There’s Christmas cheer
And laughter everywhere
(And I have an Uncle Mike! Mike Klemick. Now, he has never fallen off my brother’s bike. But, I picture Gram and Pap’s back alley on Christmas day if my brother Luke did bring over his new bike. Haha. Love that it’s an Uncle Mike. How perfect to fit with my Christmas morning nostalgia at my grandparents.)

All this might sound silly, but it’s a song that just gives me those feels. It’s so sad to know we’ll never have Christmas in that house on Christmas day with my Perry family, but I have songs like this that take me back to those wonderful Christmases.

Christmas looks different these days, but I have my own children now. I’m busy making these kinds of memories with them, and we have wonderful Christmases with my dad, Momma, and my in-laws. (All three separate Christmases.) It’s a fun and busy week, but I love that my children get to go to their grandparents like I did. Christmases at grandparents’ houses are some of the best Christmases! Pappy and Grammy Perry and Pap and Gram Liddick.

What song takes you back to your childhood??

Play it this year multiple times. These Christmases are gone, but never forgotten!

We are all still kids at Christmas!

This month, I am going to help you prepare simple but festive holiday foods for all your holiday parties. Anyone can do these…

Are you still stressing about what to have for a holiday party you are hosting? Getting delicious bread like pretzel rolls, Hawaiian rolls, bakery rolls, crescent rolls, or wraps can be the start of a great main dish.

Then, go to your local deli. Purchase deli meats and different cheeses. Anything you think your guest will enjoy.

I used ham, turkey, and sweet Lebanon bologna. For the bologna, I folded them into triangles. Just fold it in half twice. The turkey and ham I rolled up.

I then found a large, pretty Christmas plate and started arranging everything pretty on the plate. I loved how it turned out.

The cheese I just laid flat and bought marble, provolone, and American.

I put plenty of condiments on the bar and had lettuce (green) and tomato (red) right by each other for the pops of festive colors around the platter.