Enjoy the holidays not the food.

I stole that from Amanda but it has inspired a tornado of thoughts that I want to explore with you.

Enjoy the holidays not the food. Just what are the holidays?
time with family, presents, parties.

I'm actually having a hard time listing things that are not food. I want to say, turkey, shortbread, fruitcake, punch, booze. Those are the foods that mean Christmas to me.

Then why am I eating all these bavarian mints and chocolate chip cookies, just because it's Christmas. Those don't mean Christmas to me. They're out. If I'm gonna eat something "because it's Christmas" it's gotta be something that I only get at Christmas and that Christmas wouldn't be complete without. Not something yummy because it's cold out and I want it.

Ok, back to Christmas, what the heck is there to enjoy if not the food? How can I celebrate when it's not time to eat my short list of Christmas food? Well I love presents. Giving them and getting them. And making them for crying out loud! Why haven't I finished those snowmen! Instead I'm trying to find some new Christmas recipe to bake. Eh hem! Make shortbread, fruitcake, and punch! then make presents! (they can be food too. Food can be a present) I know my in-laws are going to LOVE the presents that I'm making them (snowmen), I know my sister's favorite present will be the scrapbook I made for her. Why not MAKE some more presents for people? That also means Christmas!

I also love not homemade presents. I'm not done my Christmas shopping, nor do I have all my lists made. But I love the malls at Christmas. I love the little displays, and the music and the inflated prices and the pictures with santa and the awesome ideas everywhere that make me want to buy things for myself. And I love buying things for myself and buying a special Christmas party outfit or new years outfit (or both!). I also love finding that perfect thing for someone that they didn't even know they wanted but now they won't be able to live without and totally blowing my budget on something perfect. even when it's for somebody I didn't have to buy a present for.

So to me, Christmas also equals shopping. So I'm going to enjoy the shopping, not the food court.

Christmas also means Christmas music. I listened to a cd in the middle of november but not really since. I love Christmas music, so when I'm feeling like I want to be festive instead of diving into the christmas baking, I'll put some tunes on and sing my heart out. Or else watch some Christmas movies (did anybody see the shrek Christmas special last night?). I'm also a sucker for It's a Wonderful Life (reminds me of my grandma, it was her family tradition and she passed away not too long ago, sort of bittersweet). Of course Elf. Plus I love the little cartoons and claymation stuff that's on tv all the time.

Christmas also means decorations and decorating. But I already did that. We're scaling back the decorations this year because of the dog. Also, we're not having a Christmas party like last year and it just doesn't seem worth the hassle this year to put all the boxes and boxes of stuff we've got. I've got a lot (MIL does ceramics so she makes us little "knicknacks" all the time, they just look messy to me but what can you do?) I already put up some greenery with lights, and my poinsetta and a couple candles and stuff. Just a bit. We haven't put our outside lights up because it's fricken freezing so hopefully it warms up this weekend or something. We've also got one of those inflatable lawn snowmen things. It still looks Christmasy to me at least.

But part of Christmas makes me want to MAKE decorations. I always stock up on picks and flowers and bows on boxing day sales thinking of great things to make with them. So I've got the supplies. I'm gonna make some decorations this year too.

Christmas also means parties. We've got a Christmas party every weekend until Christmas. But Christmas parties usually mean food. So what's to enjoy at Christmas parties besides food? Well I guess there's the company of friends. Except 2 of these parties are work parties and they're more akward than anything. So what do I enjoy there? Hubby's Christmas party this weekend i'm going to enjoy the door prizes and dressing up fancy (we're not really friends with any of his work people, he works with ass holes and immature kids, so we usually hang out with a bunch of 19 year olds who get completely wasted and make me angry) I think this year I'll also look forward to skipping out early and going to the end of hubby's hockey beer night. So basically I'll look forward to dressing up and looking sooooo good (Teen Girls Squad! ok nevermind) and then showing off afterwards at the bar.

Then next weekend's Christmas party is with a bunch of our friends so it's more of just a party. That one I know will be all about food since that's what my sister and I do for parties, make yummy appetizers and act all martha stewart. However, in the past I've been able to enjoy showing off culinary skills yet not packing it away like the cookie monster after a fast. We'll attempt this. Also, I haven't hung out with everyone much this year, so I'm going to enjoy looking skinnier than I did last year.

Finally my Christmas party for work is right before Christmas on the 21st. We do bowling and then a fancy meal and then the bar. So that one is always fun for laughing at my boss being drunk and silly and buying shots for everyone and all the senior staff members almost getting in fights at bars filled with early 20somethings. Plus it's also a dressed up thing. so aside from all the awkwardness of social settings with work people should be ok.

So that's Christmas parties. Looks like I mostly like dressing up and looking good! There's incentive to not pig out!

Finally there's spending time with family. This is really the best part. I love hanging out with my family. And we can usually do it with out lots of food since mom and dad aren't supposed to be eating bad stuff with their cholesterol. So we just have Christmas morning stockings with them which just means a few chocolates.

Oh yeah, didn't I mention? I'm having no rules on Christmas day. There will be no guilt over it. Christmas eve, boxing day, new years? guilt. -er I mean, no guilt because I'll be eating smart. But Christmas, I'm not saying no. I'm not going to have it just because I can, but if I feel like eating a few cookies and cakes, it's ok.

right, so Christmas with my family should be health-ish. (we always eat oranges like crazy and then mom makes a breakfast casserole thing).

Hubby's family, not so much. not fair that they get the afternoon and supper when you eat more anyway, but they're not much for healthy. Big turkey supper, afternoon with presents and games (I bought hubby the PS2 with sing star. I'm pretty sure we'll be playing) Christmas with the inlaws means games. They always play cards or board games and stuff. So that will be fun. sorta.

Here's a funny story. Hubby's dad has the same name as me, Randy. So we have the same name. That's not the story.

He and I must be more similar than that or something because we always butt heads. We were playing this Battle of the Sexes game a few years ago where the guys answer questions about make-up and cooking and the girls answer questions about sports and cars. Kinda fun. (I'm good at games, I like things I'm good at). So I was getting everything right for the girls. The rest of them are really girly girl types who never had to take the garbage out because that was a boy job. Get it? Anyway, there was a question about football (NFL mind you, not CFL, so I know nothing) but it was like "what position, sport and team does blah blah play for?" and we had nothing. they're like "give up" and we're like "yeah." and I just threw out "quarterback of the New England Patriots" or something and I was right! It was hilarious and awesome and everyone's laughing, but other Randy won't give us the point because we said we gave up first. He doesnt' like losing. Then we were playing the other way because we thought it would still be hard that way. So I'm in the bathroom and the girls got an impossible one and were about to give up but other Randy said, better wait for Randi so she won't be such a smarty pants. So I get back and they ask and I knew it too (what's the name of creams and lotions used to get rid of unwanted hair? delipatory, is it that hard?) so he was mad. Then we played anther game last year that everyone had to answer questions and you couldnt' get the same as somebody else. So it was where would you find a bathroom, starting with an S. So it was like shopping mall, or Sanfransisco or whatever. And other Randy said, Space Shuttle for double letter points. Nobody wanted to give him points for it but he pouted and argued until we did. So I sort of decided I don't like playing games with him. (plus he's a real jerk in poker and stuff) but I'll get over it and kick his ass in something else this year and feel better.

So, except for that long story, those are the things that I'm going to focus on this Christmas to be Christmasy instead of on the food. And even the food is going to be limited to turkey, shortbread, fruitcake, punch and maybe some booze. What do you guys think? What are the things that mean Christmas for you? What foods ARE Christmas and it won't be Christmas without them?