Thursday, December 3, 2009

25GoC: Madison Scott + contest

What Christmas Is To Me:


By Madison C. Scott


  1. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
    The Greatest Gift mankind has ever received, the Savior of the world.

  2. Christmas is Santa Claus.
    I live with my parents and seven siblings ranging in age from eighteen to five. Christmas Eve finds the fireplace doors opened just a crack, cookies, hot chocolate, and a note on the Santa plate by the hearth, and kids determined to hear Santa’s reindeer on the roof.

  3. Christmas is family.
    We seem to have a lot of family time throughout December. Someone’s always in the kitchen baking cookies or making fudge and in this house, that’s an ordeal that requires no less than two helpers. The Christmas movies are out, and on, and we’ll wander through, catching our favorite parts. Keeping secrets, hanging the garland just right, decorating the tree, baking for gifts, everything has to have the whole family’s participation for it to be right. My mother’s family has a Christmas party every year, tree, presents, dinner and all, along with grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, cousins that I know are cousins but I’m not sure how, we all show up. Christmas day means my grandparents, uncle, cousins, and the occasional odd boyfriend/fiancĂ© of a cousin come up to the house for presents and sweet stuff.

  4. Christmas is tradition.
    I love tradition. It’s a reminder that no matter how old you get, or how much things change, some things will always be the same. From decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving, to watching A Christmas Story a dozen times, to daddy reading “The Night Before Christmas” on Christmas Eve, to the fudge recipe, and punch, and chocolate-chip-pecan pie, everything about the Christmas Season is centered around tradition. That makes me very happy.

  5. Christmas is giving.
    I prefer to make the gifts I give, I think it makes them more special, and I’m not a big fan of shopping. I don’t like crowds, I don’t like trying things on, and I can usually find a much better (in my opinion) way to spend a day. Once a year, though, my grandmother and I have a Christmas shopping day. We get lost in the mall, visit the toy store two or three times because we forgot something, have lunch, and get most of her shopping out of the way. I love doing that.

  6. Christmas is music.
    My sister is playing carols on the piano, Christmas music is on the radio, Bing Crosby’s “Silver Bells” is stuck in my head on repeat, somewhere in the house someone is singing “Mele Kalikimaka” and won’t stop. Daddy’s singing Elvis: “I’ll have a bl-bl-bl-blue, blue, blue, bluuuueee Christmas.” It’s everywhere.

  7. Christmas is on the television.
    It isn’t quite Christmas without the Christmas movies. A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, White Christmas, Polar Express, Ernest Saves Christmas, Tim Allen’s Santa Clause movies, Rudolph and all the classic stop-motion movies, and Elf, to name a few.

  8. And last but not least, Christmas is that warm fuzzy feeling.
    The warm fuzzy feeling when your family is all together, when you hear the cold wind outside and are warm inside, the tired, content feeling, the indescribable happiness. Christmas is love.

__________________________________________________________________________

Madison Scott celebrates Christmas with her family in Tennessee, where the trees are occasionally still green, the grass occasionally still needs mown, and the temperature is occasionally 50 degrees on Christmas Eve. The closest she’s ever been to a white Christmas was the one year there were snow flurries, but a Tennessee Christmas is all she ever wants to experience, with or without the snow. Check out her website at www.madisonscott.webs.com and see what mischief she’s been getting into lately.



In addition to that wonderful guest post, Madison Scott has so kindly donated 2 copies of her book, Reba, for giveaway!


Comment on this post to enter


Basic Entry rules:

Open to U.S. only

Contest closes December 25th

+1 comment w/email

+1 follow me

Full entry rules can be found HERE


Also make sure to enter to win a signed bookmark by clicking on the contest link in the sidebar!


Thanks so much

Jill

12 comments:

Leslie said...

We have a radio station that starts playing Christmas music after Thanksgiving. I love riding around in the car to look at lights while the whole family sings along. The sillier the song, the louder everyone gets. I love it! It's a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

muzic_rock(at)yahoo(dot)com

Madison said...

Hi, Leslie!
I love doing that, too. We've made up words to so many Christmas songs that we don't really remember the right ones anymore...and any "outsider" trying to sing along looks at us like we're insane. XD

traveler said...

Thanks for this delightful giveaway. I enjoy strolling through the older neighborhoods and looking at the lovely decorations and soaking up the atmosphere. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Bianca said...

Love these guest posts!

I love listening to Christmas Music. just amazing.

I follow you.

infinitemusic19 at gmail dot com

Kelsey said...

Please enter me! I'd love to win.

Kelsey
krae991@Yahoo.com

kaymf said...

Great giveaway.
flayla14(at)yahoo(dot)com

Marilu said...

Thanks for sharing this. I haven't really gotten into the Christmas spirit yet, and I think your post helped me a little bit. Maybe I need to listen to some Christmas music!!
Please enter my in the giveaway. Thanks

lovemykidsandbooks AT gmail DOT com

Marilu said...

Thanks for sharing this. I haven't really gotten into the Christmas spirit yet, and I think your post helped me a little bit. Maybe I need to listen to some Christmas music!!
Please enter my in the giveaway. Thanks

lovemykidsandbooks AT gmail DOT com

justpeachy36 said...

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

Please enter me in the giveaway.

I am a follower.

~The Book Pixie said...

Woot woot! Love her number one and agree with all the rest. I actually have and love Bing Crosby's Silver Bells. And nothing can beat the warm fuzzy feeling. :D

+1 comment
+1 follower

~Briana
thebookpixie[at]yahoo[dot]com

Morgan said...

You pretty much hit everything on the head that's about Christmas. It's the most giving time of the year, and brings out the best in everyone. Thanks for the great contest.

morgansact at comcast dot net

L said...

I love listening to Christmas music and singing along to it with my family!

+1 follower
naggy8(at)gmail(dot)com