1. Guys on planes who see you about to tip over and clock someone with your carry on suitcase, so they jump in, say "Can I get that for you?" and proceed to hurl it into the overhead. Then they open the weird hermetically sealed baggy your earphones came in for you, stand to help someone else get their coat down, pick up something someone dropped, make recommendations of places to visit in Seattle to yet another passenger, and once the flight is over, they whip peoples' bags out of the overhead bins left and right and allow everyone to exit the plane before them.
2. Yes. He was real.
3. Christmas music played on English Handbells. Especially Noel Nouvelet (here).
4. Getting home from a night out and your oldest boychild telling you that of course his siblings are in bed. Their bedtime was hours ago, why would they still be up? And now he is going to go to bed if its all the same to you. (Wha?)
5. Eau de Fresh Christmas Tree.
6. Dried Mission Figs. I KNOW. I JUST TRIED THEM. They're only a little bit like Fig Newtons. Okay, a lot. But they'd be great dipped in chocolate. Or eaten with chocolate. Or ignored while eating chocolate.
7. Singing. Especially Christmas songs. Or ballads with deep emotional meaning. Or anything jazzy that makes you want to sit on the piano in fishnets and stilettos.
8. Lifetime Christmas movies that are silly and predictable and have interchangeable plots and actors, but are cozily romantic, in an '80's movie sort of way. (I was not given a lifetime supply of Lifetime to say that.)
9. Chocolate-dipped oreos with crushed candy cane on top. Oh baby, oh baby. I bought them. I ate them. Now I'm going to make them.
10. Village Main Streets decorated for the holidays.
11. Sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting. Especially when they don't taste like candy corn, like the last one I had.
Now, if we could just have some SNOW it would be perfect.
I’m glad you’re home. I missed you.
I want that recipe for oreo dipped candy cane thingies. Claire will adore them.
Oh my gosh, I love the Lifetime Christmas movies too!! Have you seen “Undercover Christmas” with Jamie Gertz? That one’s my fav. I melt in its sweet cheeziness every time.
Rob: here’s a link to an easy recipe. http://candy.about.com/od/chocolate/r/dipped_cookies.htm
My friend makes them without the shortening, but she has to temper the chocolate (by stirring unmelted into melted), or put them in the freezer, or they develop a white film on them. Anyway, these are easy and delish. I recommend a good dipping chocolate, or a high quality chocolate chip. Also, I like combining dark with milk.
Maegan – I just saw the end of that over Thanksgiving! Now I have to see the beginning. It ended with a mighty fine smooch, I must say. Yep. Lifetime Christmas movies are the stuff delicious fondu is made of.