Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone the Merriest of Christmases tomorrow, from our HOME to yours...

The best Christmas movie ever made and a long-standing Bird Christmas Eve tradition. Enjoy!

Holiday Essentials

Makenna and I are gearing up for our cross-country plane ride tomorrow to AZ. And so it is with Christmas cheer on my mind that I divulge a list of Holiday Essentials, a few "must-dos" that will help ease the chaos that is this lovely season.

First off, go meet your husband at work/school during his lunch hour. There you can plan your list of Christmas To-Do's over a delicious meal. A personal recommendation: Acropolis at the bottom of Union Station. Get the GYRO, which is as big as a frisbee, and eat it all by yourself. You won't regret it.


Second, take off on a Tacky Light Tour, courtesy of this website. No need to dress warm; you can even wear your PJ's in the car as you witness the spectacular sights of Christmas at its tackiest. Best house by far was the one with all their lights synced with a radio station. It was like the Bellagio fountains on steroids.


Third, make an obscene amount of Rocky Road Fudge to give as small tokens of your appreciation and affection to neighbors and friends. It will soften the hearts and tummies of even the Scroogiest of souls. Be sure to make an extra batch for you and your hubby to sit and munch on in front of the fire.


Fourth, be sure to attend a fabulous Holiday party wearing festive colors at this house. An inspirational party theme: "These Are A Few of my Favorite Things." A holiday party in the middle of all the hustle and bustle will ensure a fun-filled, stress-free, gab fest occasion for all invited.



Fifth, the Reason for the Season. In order to experience some peace and serenity in the name of Christmas, make your way on up to the DC temple lights where you will enjoy a live nativity, thousands and thousands of tiny lights on every tree, and lovely carols heard from around the grounds. Don't forget to make your way into the Visitor's Center where every warm body in a 10-mile radius will assemble to get warm. It would be a true tragedy to miss the Reflections exhibit in Theatre 2 where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful music and photographs which reflect the Savior's life.



Lastly, if you are still caught up in all the stresses of the Christmas season and have tried all of my suggestions to no avail, you can always sneak off to a late night showing of this movie with some girlfriends. It does NOT matter that you've seen it three times already. If it declutters your brain, you are entitled.

Now that my Holiday Essentials list is complete, turn on some Judy Garland, settle back with your honey, grab a blanket, and enjoy this beautiful Christmas season.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Hot Spot

I didn't want to be one of those moms who posts pointless videos of their child on their blog just because she thinks they're adorable. But then I thought, "This is MY blog, and I DO have a pointless video that I think IS adorable, so I WILL post it."

The other day Makenna and I were folding laundry down in the basement. When we were done, I picked up the basket, plopped her in as well, and carried them both upstairs. As I looked down at my daughter on the way up the stairs, a look of coolness was smeared across her face. As I set the basket down in the living room, she remained inside, perfectly content. I tried to pull her up out of the basket, but her little self resisted and she instead reached for her blanket and cuddled up to it like a cat. Since that day the $8 Walmart laundry basket has become the Mann residence's hottest hot spot to hang out. BTW, cartoons are becoming increasingly cooler in the morning (only while being watched from inside the basket).

It's a good thing Santa lives with her; he's getting a very good idea of what should be under the tree Christmas morning.

A Few Words of Thanksgiving Wisdom

We got back last night from a majorly fun Thanksgiving vacation in NYC with our friends, the Olsens, from Richmond. We learned a lot from our experience, in case we ever dare make this trek again during the same insane weekend.

#1 DO make sure you know all the details of your hotel room before you decide to share with your good friends. (Luckily, they remain our good friends after this shared-room experience.)
#2 DON'T think that just because your husbands got to the parade at 5 am to stake out the best spots on West Central Park Ave., that anyone will accommodate you finding them at 8:30... with two strollers in tow. (We were the targets of a few choice words from more than a few people.)
#3 DO come to grips beforehand that you will pay up the wazoo for parking, no matter what kind of "good deal" you find.
#4 DON'T assume your child has the uncanny ability to keep her shoes and mittens on in the subway. They WILL come off and you WILL lose them.
#5 DO take advantage of the amazing fare from street vendors in order to save a few bucks.
#6 DO take part in a Broadway show lottery- $25 for really great seats if you win. If you don't, standing room tickets are not that terrible for an extremely good price.
#7 DON'T be late to the Today show if you really want to see Barry Manilow sing "Mandy."
#8 DON'T be afraid to buy a pirated DVD of Twilight from a lady on Canal Street... it may actually work.
#9 DON'T be afraid to call up an old college roommate who lives in the city and see if you can use his apartment to make a homemade Thanksgiving Dinner, complete with Stovetop stuffing and Costco pumpkin pie (thanks Peter).
#10 DO make really bright signs to hang on the street barricades during the parade that say "BABIES' FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE." Miley Cyrus, James Taylor, Miss America, and every clown and photographer as far as the eye can see will give your baby their attention. I am convinced that David Aruchuleta just didn't see our signs, otherwise he would have cooed at our babies as well.