traditions

my friend maria is hosting a contest on her blog this month, asking her readers to post their own blogs about their favorite christmas traditions.

i've been thinking this over for a few days, and i've come to one conclusion: my favorite christmas tradition is karen carpenter. more specifically:

i love christmas music, and i don't care how uncool that is. and when i was very small, my mom had this ONE christmas album, on tape. every december we'd unpack the christmas ornaments, and there the tape would be, year after year. at night, mom would turn the lights on the little ceramic christmas tree that always went on the dresser in the bedroom i shared with my sister. she'd put on that tape and let us fall asleep to it. i remember the feeling of barely being able to contain my excitement under the scratchy blue electric blanket with my pink care bear and strawberry shortcake sheets.

i bought the album on CD last christmas and i play it all the time around christmas. i'm sure jake wonders why i am so obsessed with a cheesy 1978 carpenter's album, but it is THE album that just screams CHRISTMASTIME!!!! to me and gives my heart back a little bit of that childhood feeling.