Christmastime

I begin thinking about Christmas way earlier than any sane person should.  I mean, I start listening to Christmas music in late July.  I just love Christmas, I have so many fond memories.  Helping my dad put up the Christmas lights, then running inside to make some hot chocolate because I am absolutely freezing even though I am wrapped up in almost every item of clothing I own.  Then a few weeks later my family and I are blasting Christmas music and drinking Egg Nog while decorating the inside of the house from top to bottom. Then after a lot of begging, I finally convince my dad to go ice skating with me in -20° weather.  It's not only the pre-Christmas activities that I love, I love Christmas day too.  Waking up to frosty windows and silent, snow covered streets then running down the hall in my pajamas to wake up my parents (usually by jumping on the bed).  Tearing down the stairs to take the presents from underneath the perfectly decorated tree in the office and organizing them in the living room.  One of my favourite parts of Christmas morning is the moment right after we've all opened our presents.  When everyone is just admiring their gifts with bright eyes and a giant, goofy smile and the wrapping paper massacre is still spread across the room.  Christmas dinner is pretty amazing too with the giant turkey and everyone gathering in my dining room.  Our table set with the perfect stuffing with cranberries (my mum's secret ingredient), and vibrant orange, mashed sweet-potatoes and obviously the turkey that is mouth-watering enough to be in a magazine.  Although the dinner is amazing without a doubt the best part is dessert.  Pecan pie is the reason I wake up on Christmas.  My grandmother makes the best pecan pie; I haven't found one to rival it to this day.  All these Christmas activities still happen but it just used to be a much larger affair before my grandparents bought a home in Arizona and became "snowbirds".  On the bright side my aunts and my uncles still visit a few weeks before they fly down to see my grandparents and I still get to see my other grandpa.  Christmas will forever bring me that warm, fuzzy feeling and I will continue to get ridiculously excited for it no matter my age.  

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day..." -Andy Rooney

Your Almost Name #438

During the holidays, mainly Christmas my family and I always end up sitting around and looking through the extremely embarrassing baby photo albums of my brother and I.  We always eventually start talking about my brother's and mine almost names. He was almost a Stephanie (if he was a girl of course) and, I was almost a Zoey or Sarah.  Which I find to be the one of the weirdest thoughts ever.  I couldn't picture my name being anything but Paige, and I certainly couldn't picture my older sibling being named anything but Christopher.  For my brother, the name Christopher was the only thing they considered, my parents were always so sure of his name.  Unless he was a girl, then he would be Stephanie.  My parents had his name figured out, it was simple.  For me they threw around several different names, until my now late grandmother suggested the name "Paige".  My parents instantly fell in love with it and it was set, I was going to be Paige.  I love my name and would never change it for anything. My name has a little more significance to me,  I think ever since my grandmother passed my name has meant more.  It helps me remember her everyday. Even though she's gone, she still appears every time this topic of conversation comes up.  The main feeling I have when my family and I discuss this is just a very strange feeling.  I hate thinking that my name could've been different, because I believe that I would have a completely different personality.  I guess that a person is who they are no matter what their name is, but I couldn't imagine going through life being called Zoey, or Sarah.  For me names are very important, they bring you back to your family and show the world who you are.  I am 100% a Paige, nothing else.  Not that I would ever want to be anything but a Paige.