2008 in Review

New Year's Eve. Must mean it's time for my annual year in review. 2008, it seems like you started just yesterday and now you're gone.

Mike started his new job on his birthday in January. They've kept him insanely busy (especially towards the end of the year) but he's done a great job and learned a lot.

In February, Mike bought his spaceship. Err, Prius. Being kind to the environment was a big focus for us in 2008 and wil continue going forward.

March was apparently boring because I only bothered blogging twice. My birthday was at the end of the month and I turned 25. Ha!

We took a quick getaway to the cabin in early April. I always love going there. It's so relaxing. My sister had her baby on April 15th. Corbin David. Such a little cutey.

In May, Mike ran the Biltmore Estate 15k early in the month. Memorial Day Weekend, we made our way to PA/NY to see my brother's first house and my sister's first baby.

June brought yet another failed Race for the Cure. I'm starting to think I should find a different race to target.

In July, we shelved our "Independence Day in DC" plans in favor of a weekend later that month in Alexandria. We went to a going away party for some friends, checked out the Newseum, and finally spent some time in Old Town Alexandria.

August 8th was our tenth anniversary. We celebrated by watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics in Beijing.

In September, we spent a week at the Outer Banks. Despite a tropical storm sitting off the coast, we had a good time.

October was the month of sick cats. We were at the vet's so much that I think they're going to put our names on a plaque on one of their benches. Mid-month, Mike completed the Baltimore Half-Marathon in great time and feeling good afterwards (huge improvement over his last half).

November brought the election, Thanksgiving, and a screened porch project that launched a massive dig into some local history.

We kept busy this December. Some of it was even Christmas-related! We finally made it to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. We also made it out to Biltmore Estate to see their Christmas decorations - it was a cold but wonderful weekend. And finally, one of the nicest Christmases we've had in years. Not that things were much different from past Christmases but somehow it seemed better.

I didn't blog much this year as we were dealing with a lot of offline issues. Some of which will continue on to 2009. I'm hopeful though that 2009 will bring us good things. Which I'll save for tomorrow's post.

DPA at DPAC

Sunday night, Mike bought tickets to see Divine Performing Arts, a Chinese classical dance and music group. The show gave us our first opportunity to visit the new Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).The show was really amazing. The costumes were beautiful and the dancing was cool to see. Things got a little slow during the operatic solos and I could've done with about half of those but overall it was stunning to watch.

I will say that the political side was heavy handed, especially towards the end. DPA is a nonprofit organization and practitioners of Falun Gong. From their site:

Based in New York, Divine Performing Arts is a nonprofit organization that is independent of China’s communist regime and which seeks to revive the true, five-millennia-old artistic tradition of China that thrived before decades of suppression by the Chinese communist state. The company seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture while providing audiences everywhere with an experience of sublime beauty.

Agree or disagree, I wasn't expecting so much political preaching to be part of the evening. Other than that, it was great.

As for the DPAC facility itself, it's very impressive lit up from the outside at night. Inside, the lobbies seemed a bit bare to me. Our seats were way up in the rafters but fairly center. After making our way up to the third level lobby, we were directed basically to a fire escape staircase (nicely carpeted and painted) that took us up even further to reach our seats. But even though our seats were in the last row, the view was ok. It was warm (heat rises, you know!) but we could see fine.

We have tickets to the Broadway series that will be presented there this Spring so we'll have plenty of opportunities to visit again.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. -Mary Schmich

Christmas 2008

Another Christmas come and gone. And while our activities didn't differ much from years past, somehow this year seemed especially nice.I was wrapped up in my 12 Days of Christmas Blogging and some non-holiday things so I never got around to posting the annual decorating report. Since we went to Biltmore Estate on Dec 7/8, our tree went up late this year. It was the weekend of the 13th. We didn't overdecorate this year. Our little artificial tree (with carefully chosen cat-proof ornaments), the nativity, our wreath, Mike's lighthouse and a few candles. After inspecting the boxes, Tasha lost interest and went upstairs. Ripley helped with the decorating and was "rewarded" with decorations of his own.

Cards went out later than usual this year as well. I almost always mail them early in the month so I can focus on other things but I ended up focusing on the other things first this time. We rushed to get cards in the mail on the 20th and didn't do as many as usual. We also sent a lot of e-cards. It was a combination of laziness and caring for the environment.

Christmas eve, we spent the day relaxing and doing some baking. We attended Christmas service at 5pm instead of 11pm because there was no way I was going to be able to stay awake that late. We opened one gift each before bed that night and crashed around 11pm.

Christmas morning, I was awake before 5am (I haven't been sleeping well recently) but let Mike sleep until around 6:30. We showered, made hot cocoa, and opened our gifts from our families. Then we stopped for Mike to make baked apple pancake for breakfast.

After breakfast we opened our gifts from each other. Again, Tasha wasn't interested but Ripley had a lot of fun chasing papers and bows. He's much more excited about the little mouse/hamster toy we bought and spent quite awhile attacking it.

The highlight for me was the rocking chair Mike bought me for our screened porch. Yes, the project is delayed (it should've been done by now but we're still waiting on permits to even start) but he knows how much I'm looking forward to it so he bought me a chair to enjoy once it's complete. He even assembled it for me and hid it in the garage with a big bow on it. And I bought him white LED lights, also for the porch.

Dinner was prime rib, mac & cheese, rolls, deviled eggs, and French onion soup. Dessert was a pumpkin pie cake recipe Mike had picked up at work. It was all very yummy.

The rest of the day was reading, playing with the new WiiFit (Tasha was a total motivator for working out) and talking with family on the phone. Before bed, we watched A Christmas Story for the first time ever, and then called it a day. A very good day.

I hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas!

12 Days: 1 Christmas Wish

On the 1st day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 1 Christmas Wish.

I wish anyone reading this and celebrating Christmas today a wonderful day full of love and fun and food. Maybe not in that order.

Short and sweet so I can get back to enjoying our Christmas.

12 Days: 2 Gifts to Receive

On the 2nd day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 2 gifts I'd like to receive.

1. Uninterrupted Inspiration - Primarily for writing ideas. I suppose I should couple that request with "ability to follow through". And I wouldn't mind it spilling over into other areas of my life a well.


2. Health - Between my migraines and some other issues recently, it would be awesome to just be completely healthy for awhile.

And I'll put in another request for world peace, just for kicks.

Tomorrow, the finale of my 12 days of Christmas blogging.

12 Days: 3 Gifts to Give

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 3 Gifts I'd like to give.

1. Ridiculous Amounts of Money - I can't give this one because I don't have it to give. We do what we can. But I would love to be in a position to write huge checks to some worthy causes. This time of year, Duke Childrens Hospital (and sick kids in general) weighs heavily on my heart. I'd like to make it all better for those children and their families.


2. Supportive Husbands - I'm not going to pretend that Mike and I have the perfect marriage but we work at it and it works for us. However, he's very supportive and patient with me. I have a couple of friends right now struggling with husbands that aren't supporting them in the ways they need and I wish I could fix it for them. It makes me realize how fortunate I am.


3. A fabulous vacation - This one's for Mike. He works too hard, both at his job and at things around the house. I'd like him to have an awesome vacation full of fun and just hanging out. He deserves it.

Oh, and of course, world peace. But that goes without saying, right?

Tomorrow, 2 gifts I'd like to receive.

12 Days: 4 Christmas Memories

On the 4th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 4 Christmas memories.

1. Childhood tree - I remember, at least one year, my parents set up a little Christmas tree for me in my bedroom. Since I had the bedroom to myself, I'm guessing it was either before my brother was born or at least before my sister was so I would've been in the neighborhood of 5-7.


2. Christmas mishaps - This is much more recent (last year) but somehow we managed to both fry our oven and render our garage door inoperable both shortly before Christmas. In fact, it was the morning of Christmas eve that the new oven arrived and it was returning from Christmas eve service that the garage door died.


3. Christmas eve service - Christmas eve is my favorite part of Christmas, I think. After all the crazy preparations are finished but before the actual day itself, I love Christmas service. Whether it be an early evening service, like the church I went to growing up, or a midnight service, it's nice to take that moment of quietness in the middle of a hectic season.


4. Hot cocoa - Another more general "memory" but somehow Christmas always goes hand-in-hand with hot cocoa for me, even as an adult. As a kid, hot cocoa was part of our Christmas eve tradition. After church, we'd have hot cocoa while reading the Christmas story. Now, I still like a mug of cocoa around the holidays.

Tomorrow, 3 gifts I'd like to give.

12 Days: 5 Least Favorite Christmas Songs

On the 5th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 5 least favorite Christmas songs.

1. Blue Christmas - Elvis
2. Feliz Navidad
3. Mele Kalikimaka
4. Christmas Shoes
5. 12 Days of Christmas

I could've come up with a much longer list, especially if I included specific versions. Instead I narrowed it down to the 5 songs that make me run to change the station, regardless of the version. I realize I'm not going to be able to really explain my dislike of some - it's just there.

Blue Christmas by Elvis just annoys me in the same way a lot of Elvis songs annoy me. I admire what he did for the music scene as a whole but I'm not a fan of most of his work. Anyways, this song, with all the "wooOOOooo" in the background, makes my list.

Feliz Navidad is way too perky and busy and chaotic. Similarly, that Hawaiian song also bugs. I group them together for some reason. "Songs I Can't Sing Along With Because I Don't Get Those Words". In fact, I had to look up Mele... to figure out the spelling. I always refer to it as Mele Kalikiblahblah.

For those of you haven't had the pleasure of hearing the Christmas Shoes song, seek it out on YouTube. It's a Hallmark sort of song that exists only to ruin your Christmas cheer by making you sob. Which I don't. Because I have no heart?

And finally, 12 Days of Christmas. First, it goes on forever. Second, it inspires too many obnoxious alternate versions. Exceptions are the Muppet version and the 12 Pains of Christmas (which actually made my favorite songs list).

So what songs do you least look forward to hearing at Christmas? And come back tomorrow for four of my favorite Christmas memories.

12 Days: 6 Dinner Dishes

On the 6th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 6 dishes served for Christmas dinner.

1. Dad's Deviled Eggs
2. Gramma's Mac 'n Cheese
3. Mike's Prime Rib
4. My Mashed Potatoes
5. Mom's Chocolate Pie
6. Tiramisu

Not sure there's a whole lot to explain with these. These are items that are usually on the table for Christmas meals. Even though we've moved away and don't make it home for Christmas, we've managed to replicate most of the dishes in a reasonable fashion. We don't always adhere to this (I'm still trying to sell Mike on the idea of lasagna for this year) but it's what I would list if I was pushed to define "traditional" Christmas dinner.

Tomorrow will be my five least favorite Christmas songs.

12 Days : 7 Christmas Movies/TV Specials

On the 7th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 7 favorite Christmas movies/tv specials.

1. National Lampoons' Christmas Vacation
2. A Christmas Carol
3. Gremlins
4. While You Were Sleeping
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
6. Love Actually
7. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Ahh, Christmas specials. It seems like I remember a lot more of them on tv when I was growing up. I remember something about a mouse and a clock. Garfield. Claymation. But these are my favorites as an adult.

It's been awhile since I saw Christmas Vacation but there's a scene with a kitty and the tree that cracks me up every time. It could be that I'm easily cracked up but it's a hilarious movie.

A Christmas Carol is my most ambiguous choice on the list because I like several versions. The Muppets have a good one, there are several movie versions, and then my favorite may be the Disney version. I'm also a big fan of the local production here in Raleigh each year.

Gremlins may not be a traditional pick but it's Christmas-related and fabulous fun. I should rewatch that sometime soon.

While You Were Sleeping will always hold a special place in my heart because it's the movie I saw with Mike on our first date back in 1995. Now that I think about it, it's kind of weird that a Christmas-related movie opened in early May.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is always a good choice. And while I don't have the hatred for the Jim Carrey version that some people seem to feel, I'm much more interested in the 1966 cartoon version. All those adorable Whos down in Whoville without a clue in the world.

Love Actually is my most recent addition to the list. I never got around to watching it for a long time until my friend Sarah finally convinced me. Wow, I had no idea what I was missing. This ensemble cast movie was amazing. Funny and sad and warm and fuzzy and an actual intricate storyline as well. I'd gift it to everyone I know if only it didn't have the subplot about the porn stand-in actors.

I end my list with A Charlie Brown Christmas. It makes you laugh and cry and at the end really puts me in a quiet Christmas mood. I think it really says something that the message has stood the test of time and this simple animation is still so popular. The music is also fabulous.

Quick note: I've never seen A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, or Miracle on 34th Street. I have plans to remedy two of those next week which may lead to my list needing revisions.

Tomorrow will be the six items I want to see on my Christmas table this year.

12 Days : 8 Travel Guides

On the 8th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 8 travel guides I'd like to find under the tree.

1. China: The Panda Experience
2. Southern Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Greece
3. Mexico
4. South America: Chile, Argentina, Brazil
5. California Coast & Wine Country
6. Grand Canyon
7. Chicago
8. Savannah & Charleston

Maybe this is a bit of a stretch but I have travel on my brain since we didn't take a "big" trip this year for many reasons.

Mike really enjoyed his trip to China and if I thought I could handle the culture shock at this point in my life, I'd love to see Beijing and Shanghai as well as travel to some areas he didn't get to. But I could probably find a way to make the trip if we focused on Chengdu and pandas. There's not much I wouldn't do for the experience of holding one of those beautiful creatures.

Southern Europe has been on our shortlist for awhile now. We've been to London, Paris, Dublin, western Ireland. And Mike's been to Scotland. Our next trip, we'd love to do a more southern tour. Southern/coastal France, Italy, Rome, Spain. Maybe even Greece. Unfortunately the dollar's very weak right now compared to the British pound and the Euro so we've put those plans on hold.

Mexico is appealing to me mainly from a historical perspective. I'd love to see some of the ruins and natural areas.

South America is also on my list due to the ancient ruins but mainly because of the beautiful landscapes there. And especially in Brazil, I've read some amazing things about the culture and artistry that I think it would be an amazing place to experience.

Heading a little closer to home, I've never been to the West coast. I'd really like to cover all of California though I'd be content to skip LA. I'd love to go up the coast from San Diego to San Fran and also hitting the wine region.

I flew over the Grand Canyon when we went to Vegas for a conference a few years ago. It looked amazing from the sky. I'd love to see it up close. I'm not a camping girl anymore (I was in another lifetime) so definitely no roughing it with a tent for me. But I'd love to do some hiking, some water activities, some climbing.

Chicago has been on my list for some time now. It just seems like a really neat city, despite being in Illinois. I definitely wouldn't want to go during the winter though. Brrr!

And finally, Savannah and Charleston. The closest to home and the only locations on the list that I've been to before. In fact, I think I've been to both of them twice. But there's something about these Southern cities that I really love. The history, the architecture... I still feel like there is ground to be covered there. And although Atlanta is much larger, I'd also like to go there to see how the big modern city and historical town work with each other.

That concludes my list of travel guides I'd like to see under my Christmas tree. Totally a cheat on the theme. Tomorrow will be more traditional: holiday tv shows and movies.

12 Days: 9 Christmas Treats

On the 9th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 9 of my favorite Christmas treats.

1. Sugar Cookies
2. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
3. Gramma's Fudge
4. Potato Cookies
5. Peppermint Bark
6. Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
7. Candy Canes
8. Eggnog
9. Peanut Butter Cookies w/ Hershey Kisses

As much as my other lists haven't really been in any order, this one certainly isn't. I realize a lot of these aren't traditionally associated with Christmas but they are things I associate with Christmas.

I love sugar cookies. And my favorite ones are very small with various frostings. I usually make mine with either mocha or peppermint frostings and some colored sugar sprinkles. They're awesome for dipping in coffee.

I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Ideally, I like them with some walnuts or pecans but since Mike's not a huge fan of nuts I usually skip them. A lady at the church I attended growing up always made a version of these that was amazing. I still think of her when I have any version of them.

Gramma's "Fail-Proof" Fudge, which I manage to fail at about 80% of the time. No way I'm sharing the recipe but it's supposed to be easy because it doesn't involve candy thermometers. It's not as sicky-sweet as a lot of fudge and I love the stuff.

Potato cookies, which are known by about a million names. I think they're more like candies myself. I'm including a recipe on this one because so many folks have never heard of them. However, this isn't the exact recipe I follow. I think mine has a more measured amount of potato to add. Other than that, it's the same. They're sweet sugary peanut butter goodness in the form of a jelly roll. Keep them cool or they'll melt. Also, a little goes a long way. But so good!

I'll address the next three treats together - peppermint bark, peppermint mocha, candy canes. Peppermint bark is awesome though I've never made my own. And we all know how I adore a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha. And when all else fails, a candy cane is easily portable and long-lasting when I need a peppermint fix. I keep a stash of the small ones around at all times. They're also perfect crushed and sprinkled on sugar cookies.

Eggnog, whether it be "doctored" or not, is definitely a Christmas treat. I tried to make it once. And failed. So now we just buy light eggnog in the store. We've also used it to make ice cream which was quite tasty.

Finally, peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kisses plunked on top. I've recently seen recipes that roll the Kisses in the middle of the dough so they bake up all yummy in the center. I'll have to give that a try.

So there we have it. Some of my favorite Christmas treats. And how many of these have I made this year? Not a single one. Though I need to make a treat for work on Friday so I'll probably see what ingredients I have in the kitchen this afternoon. It may end up being a box of brownies, which are also awesome with some mint frosting.

What are your favorite treats this time of year? Did I miss some?

Come back tomorrow for the 8 travel guides I'd like to see under the tree on Christmas morning.

12 Days: 10 Christmas Ornaments

On the 10th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee: 10 of my favorite Christmas ornaments.

(Keep in mind, only about 2 of these go on the tree thanks to evil cats)

1. Papa's Bell
2. Santa
3. First Christmas Together
4. Tiny Pandas
5. Gingerbread Man
6. Front Door
7. Sparkle Panda
8. Blue Ball
9. Mischief Kitty

Papa's Bell says "Christmas 1979" on it. I was born in March of 1978 (yeah, do the math) so that means I was about 20 months old when his boss gave him this ornament. I was immediately obsessed with it and looked for it every year after that. When Grampa passed away back in 1993, it was the only thing of his that I wanted. And even if nothing else goes on the tree (see above-referenced cats), Papa's Bell is placed near the top after a good ringing.

I meant to check the date on the back of Santa but this is a very heavy ceramic (I think) ornament. It was hand-painted and given to me by friends of my grandparents. I've had it for a long time and it actually broke once but I was able to glue it back together.

Not able to be glued back together? Several of my porcelain Breyer horse ornaments after the Great Christmas Tree Disaster of 2006. This is the first ornament in the Carousel series that my mother gets me every year and probably my favorite. I'm guessing there are about 10 in total now? Lucky for me, since she's a Breyer dealer, she was able to replace the ornaments broken by Grinch-kitties.

The heart wreath with the two birds inside is a Precious Moments ornament Mike bought for me. It's from our first Christmas together in 1995.

My two tiny pandas both joined the family last year. The round one is an ornament I picked up while visiting Tai Shan at the zoo in DC. The other one was actually a randomly-chosen gift to Mike from one of his tour guides on the WEMBA trip to China. These actually go on the tree because they're strong enough to survive a small tumble.

This gingerbread ball came from Saks several Christmases ago. Mike bought it for me on a shopping excursion with one of his friends.

I believe this house ornament is from last year. Above the door, it says "Rogan". Mike picked it out and had it customized from Ireland.

Sparkle panda is the most recent addition to my favorite ornaments. He's blown glass and covered in glittery bamboo. We bought him at Biltmore Estate just a week ago. When I saw him, I just had to bring him home. Fortunately, he survived the trip - we consolidated bags and unknowingly dropped a jar of apple butter on top of the panda, then threw them in the back of the car for a 4-hour drive. My heart sank when I realized what we had done but he was still in one awesome piece!

This blue ball is from a set of two. I'm not sure where we bought them but it was an after-Christmas clearance I think. They're Waterford and really pretty.

And finally, Mischief Kitty. I bought this for Tasha's first Christmas, not realizing how appropriate it would turn out to be. The kitty is wrapped up in Christmas lights. Also, if you look closely, you can see where Ripley chewed on it.

Honorable mention to my glass unicorn. After twenty years (I would've placed it #2 on my list), it was my most heart-breaking loss from the tree tumble two years ago. I always keep an eye open for a replacement but nothing has come close so far.

So what are your favorite Christmas ornaments? And is it safe to put them out or do you have issues with children and/or animals?

Tomorrow's topic: Favorite Christmas Cookies/Treats.

12 Days: 11 Dinner Invitations

On the 11th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee:
11 people I want to invite over for Christmas dinner.

1. Bono
2. Anderson Cooper
3. Tai Shan
4. Kiefer Sutherland
5. Simon Baker
6. Anne Hathaway
7. Sting
8. Duff Goldman
9. Tina Fey
10. Joel McHale
11. Mythbusters
    

Bonus: Reese Witherspoon to keep Mike company. See what a nice wife I am?

Actually, Bono is there partially for Mike as well. He's an even bigger U2 fan than I am and I think all of his humanitarian interests would make him a cool dinner guests.

Anderson Cooper is totally my boo. Intelligent, witty, and nice to look at. I'd seat him across from me so I could see those pretty blue eyes.

Tai Shan may have to take a seat at the kid's table due to his age. Also, I'm assuming whatever I serve, he'll have special dietary restrictions of bamboo. Still, I'll invite him in hopes of getting a cuddle.

Kiefer Sutherland will be there because he is awesome and you don't argue with him. Also, if Tai Shan gets out of line (or anyone, for that matter), I'm sure he can handle it.

Simon Baker will be seated next to Anderson Cooper, again across from me so I can check out that smile. And maybe accidentally play footsies. (Mike will be too busy chatting up Reese and Bono to mind).

Anne Hathaway is my favorite actress of late and she seems like she'd be very down to earth to hangout with. Also, she looks like the kind of girl that would help me set the table.

Sting is another fascinating musician and humanitarian. I'd love to have a chat with him about what really went down with the Police and if they really got along on the last tour.

Duff Goldman may be loud but he is going to bring us our dessert. I want a cake shaped like a giant stacked up snowman. Actual size.

Tina Fey is there to up the funny and smart quotient. I'm also hoping maybe Alec Baldwin comes as part of the package because I had a hard time choosing between them.

Joel McHale is there to make fun of everyone else. I'm hoping he brings clips and Spaghetti Cat.

And finally, the Mythbusters. I realize there are two of them so it may be a bit of a cheat. But I need them there for the grand finale of blowing up the table when we're finished so I don't have to clean it up.

So who would you invite over for Christmas dinner? Bet you thought I'd pick important people. Like Obama and Oprah and the Pope. Nah, that wouldn't be as much fun.

Tomorrow, come back for 10 of my favorite Christmas ornaments.

12 Days: 12 Favorite Holiday Songs

On the 12th day of Christmas, Webchicky shares with thee:
12 of my favorite holiday songs.

1. Oh Come Emmanuel
2. Oh Holy Night
3. Mary Did You Know/What Child Is This
4. We Three Kings (BNL/Sarah McLachlan)
5. My Grown-Up Christmas List (Kelly Clarkson)
6. All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey)
7. I'll Be Home for Christmas
8. White Christmas
9. Silver Bells
10. 12 Pains of Christmas
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Rowlf the Dog/John Denver)
12. We Need a Little Christmas (Muppets)

Bonus: Anything Vince Guaraldi/Peanuts/Charlie Brown

I'll admit I had to cheat a small amount on this list and even now I'm pained by songs I had to leave off. I reserve the right to make many addendums.

I started out with my favorite religious Christmas songs. Oh Come Emmanuel has this sort of ominous feel to it with minor chords but I absolutely love the powerful ending to it. Oh Holy Night is a song my dad has sung for years and I used to accompany him on the piano. #3 is a bit of a cheat but those two songs just go together in my head and I couldn't choose. And #4 starts a bit of transition into more contemporary picks. We Three Kings is very traditional but I love the Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLachlan version. It's haunting and beautiful.

#5 almost got left off but we were listening to Holly on XM as I wrote this and it came on. I adore Kelly Clarkson and her version of My Grown-Up Christmas List is very earnest. Mariah Carey's Christmas album is surprisingly good and All I Want For Christmas is You is one of those songs where her vocal acrobatics actually seem to fit well. The song always makes me smile.

#7-#9 are my traditional non-religious picks. There are many versions of each that I adore so I refuse to pick just one.

#10 is my only truly silly inclusion on the list but I felt it was appropriate to include a version of 12 Days of Christmas. This one is awesome with the increased frustration throughout the song.

#11 and #12 are both classic songs I adore but specifically the Muppets have great renditions. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is awesome when performed by Rowlf the Dog and John Denver. And nothing's more fun than the entire bunch of Muppets singing We Need a Little Christmas. Unfortunately, I can't find a video anywhere which makes me very sad.

And since we're talking cartoons, I have to give a bonus slot to anything Peanuts. How can you NOT love the jazzy Christmas sounds of Vince Guaraldi?

So what are your favorite holiday songs? Least favorite will come later on in the 12 Days of Christmas Blogging.

Tomorrow, come back for 11 people I'd invite to Christmas dinner.

12 Days of Christmas Blogging

I'm having a bit of trouble finding my Christmas spirit this year because there seem to be so many other things on my mind. In an effort to distract myself from those things and focus instead on the holiday, I've planned out 12 Days of Christmas Blogging. Here's how it's going to work:

I'm starting tomorrow as day #12 and counting down to the 25th as day #1. On each day, I'm going to post a corresponding Christmas-related list. For example, tomorrow, day #12, I'll post a list of 12 favorite Christmas songs. Day #7 will be 7 of my favorite Christmas shows/movies. And so on.

Nothing earth-shattering but we'll see if it serves its purpose for me. Please feel free to comment and play along.

Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa. -Bart, "The Simpsons" (1989)

Biltmore Christmas

After eight Christmases in North Carolina, we finally made our way out to Biltmore Estate for a Candlelight Christmas tour. For a lot of reasons I'm going to skip (because this is a positive post), I've been having a tough time getting into the holiday spirit but this weekend definitely helped.

We checked into our hotel around 3pm after an uneventful (but windy) four-hour drive from Raleigh. Around 4pm we headed out for the Estate.

Mike made a 5pm dinner reservation at the Stable Cafe. It was earlier than was ideal but it worked out really well. They were offering a four course Prix-Fixe menu and it was delicious. We started with an appetizer of local apples and Farmstead cheddar gratin. Mike then had butternut squash bisque while I had a green salad. For our entrees, Mike had five spice grilled breast of duck served with blackberry preserves and sweet potato puree while I had prime rib with mashed potatoes and green beans. Then dessert - he had cinnamon apple cheesecake torte and I had cappuccino mousse w/ chocolate biscotti. There may have also been some wine along the way... Anyways, everything was absolutely amazing, service was awesome, and we finished up just in time to head over to the house for our tour at 6:45.

In all, we spent about 90 minutes touring the house. There were things we didn't spend as much time on since we've toured the house before but we definitely enjoyed the decorations. Every room seemed to have at least one Christmas tree, if not many more. The main dining hall had a tree that must've been at least forty feet tall. The attention to detail and the amount of decoration was completely over the top. Some of those trees looked to be straining under the weight of all the ornaments heaped on them. And then there were the wreaths, garlands, bows...

No pictures allowed inside the house, unfortunately, so we didn't even bother taking the camera out of the car Sunday night. Check out the Biltmore's site to see a few shots of the inside. We probably should've taken a few shots outside - the lights outside were nice. That is, if we could've operated the camera with our frozen fingers. It was freezing cold and windy. We decided to stop at Starbucks on the way back to the hotel.

Yesterday morning, we took our time getting ready and even ordered breakfast to the room. The weather was warmer (about 40°) and the wind had subsided so we went back to Biltmore to do a little Christmas shopping. We found a few things though not as many gifts for other people as I would've liked. Apparently Mike bought something for me and I also found something for my folks. Then we tasted some wine, picked up a few bottles of that and a few other things, then hit the road home.

It was an awesome trip and much-needed. There's been a lot of stress lately and it was fabulous to get away for a night and just relax. Now, we'll see if we can get in gear before it's too late for Christmas.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Yesterday, we finally made our way downtown for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. We've been meaning to go since the exhibit started back in June or July but somehow managed to find ourselves cramming in a visit during the last weeks of the event.

Admission included a free audio tour, which I used sometimes and not at others. It's always funny to me how hushed everyone is, standing around with something that looks like a 1980's cellphone against their ears. In all, it took us just under an hour and a half to go through the exhibit.

A lot of background information was given on the discovery of the Scrolls, excavation, and preservation. Near the end there is a room with a strictly-controlled temp/lighting system where you can view actual pieces of the scrolls.

Overall, another well-done exhibit. We've been to several now at this museum and it's always very organized and controlled. While certain areas tend to bunch up, it rarely felt crowded (which is important when you're a bit claustrophobic like me).

I'm glad we didn't miss the opportunity to see this while it was town. If you get the chance to see it, it's definitely worth checking out.

A sidenote I found interesting - they were very careful throughout the exhibit to use CE/BCE (Common Era/Before Common Era), pointing out that this is the more generally accepted secular equivalent to BC and AD (Before Christ, Anno Domini). Which, as a scientific presentation, I can understand. But when that scientific presentation is about religious texts, I thought it was a little odd that they used CE and BCE on the same boards that were displaying scripture from Genesis.

We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn. -Mary Catherine Bateson