Favorite cookie– I have just gotten home from work and Kristin made these cookies today that are somekind of peanutbuttery rice crispy clumps dipped in chocolate and then put in the freezer. Man they are good. I don’t know if they are the best cause I was pretty hungry but they are definitly up there. Plus Kristin is a good cook.

Favorite Christmas song– That country song about the boy who wants to get his mom shoes cause she’s sick.

Favorite Christmas tradition– This one is not even close. It is not a long standing tradition but for a while we would all go to the movies on Christmas Eve and then go home and open our PJ’s. I thought that was cool.

Best Christmas memory– The year that Andi was starting law school at the U of I and her apartment burned down but she saved the Nintendo 64. I remember always thinking that we finally had the cool video games like everyone else. I was pretty excited about it. In retrospect the thing about it that is the most amazing is that Andi would spend that much money on a present for us when she was in school with absolutly no money. That was nice.
Also the Bears sweater that Michelle sent me last year that looks like Buddy Ryan’s from the 85 SuperBowl.
Mostly looking back on it now, the best memory I have of Christmas is the look on Moms face when I told he thanks for the many things that she would always get me.

What I want for Christmas is– Kristin to feel better,
Jonathan to get a 4.0,
the holiday five pack.

Isaac’s Christmas

Favorite Christmas Cookie: Jelly bean cookie

Favorite Christmas Song: Carol of the Bells (we think thats the right name)

Favorite Christmas Tradition: Reading the bible.

Favorite Christmas memory: Draging everyone in the living room on Christmas morning.

All I want for Christmas is….to be a better citizen and alot of other stuff!

1. Favorite Christmas Cookie: I enjoyed Jesus’ birthday cake.

2. Favorite Christmas Song: Silent Night

3. Favorite Christmas tradition: I loved the big White Bible. It was so enormous as a little kid, looking like a relic. But my favorite Christmas tradition would be all the brothers and sisters sleeping on the floor together. Especially those times in the red room…

4. Favorite Christmas memory: I’ll never forget the year I opened a helmet and thinking it was a useless gift. Minutes later I experienced pure exuberation at the sight of my very own four wheeler (sort of). As much fun as I had on that thing it ended up putting me through a lot of work. The truely happiest I’ve ever been came a few years ago when I could afford decent presents for the first time. It was great watching everyone open the presents but the best was mom opening the watch I bought her. I’ll never forget her reaction…

5. All I want for Christmas is… A safe trip for my family and I to and from Georgia. A 4.0 would be nice too…

1. Favorite Christmas Cookie :
Though I do love me some sour cream cookies, my favorite Christmas cookies are those brownie-cake type cookies. the ones that are (I believe) rolled in powdered sugar before baking. I don’t know what they are called, but Andi knows. And Jeannie. Jeannie knows, too. I have a hard time passing up ginger snaps or sorghum cookies, too.
It’s weird, because I don’t really even like cookies. but this time of year it’s like I am physically unable to resist.

2. Favorite Christmas Song:
I like when we are all together at the house and Dad plays his Mannheim Steamroller CDs. But my favorite Christmas song is either Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song) or The Night Before Christmas, both from Amy Grant’s “Home For Christmas” CD. MAN I love that CD.

3. Favorite Christmas tradition:
Wow. This is a tough one. I like all of our traditions. All of them together are what makes it Christmas, you know? But I’m not gonna lie- I enjoy the satisfaction of being able to successfully get the wine out of the carpet.

4. Favorite Christmas memory:
Another tough one. I have Christmas memories that I am not sure are even mine. The Christmas in Delaware when I got my Super Grover- that was a good one. Or the Christmas at the Frieden Farm when some poor soul decided to give me that robot guy- you know- the one that made those horrifically annoying buzzing and beeping sounds? I feel like I remember Grandpa laughing at how much I loved that stupid thing. And boy did I.
But I guess I would have to say that overall my favorite Christmas memory would have to be the year in Illinois when we all woke up together in Andi’s room and went upstairs to find a note from Santa telling us to go look in the garage. The twins were SO EXCITED when they found that little blue 4-wheeler. I honestly do not ever remember seeing them so happy. They were jumping around and laughing- doing that twin thing they do where they are talking and agreeing with each other but not really saying any actual words- more like a collection of phrases that only they truly understand the meaning of. I think I’ll always remember that day. Seeing those little boys so excited- that was awesome.

5. All I want for Christmas is…
A pony. Seriously- 28 years and you would think someone would have figured that out by now.
I kid. I don’t want anything tangible. I think I want the same thing that all of us want. We’ve all been talking about it over the past few weeks, and no one has really articulated it in exactly the same way, but it all boils down to the same basic concept- we just want to see each other happy. I want to see my grown-up brothers excited again- so excited that their faces cannot even contain all of their excitement- if only because we are all there together. I want to see my big sister beaming as she sees the reactions as Isaac or Dad or anyone opens the thing that she put so much thought into getting for them. I want to listen as my baby sister and my newest sister both tell me their ideas for completing the thing that we are going to complete together to make Christmas morning awesome. I want to see my baby brothers happy and content and calm and thankful that they are a major part (and not just the babies) of what we need to make this time together great.
I even want to hear my dad sing. When he busts out with that soulful tenor- (and you just KNOW it’s going to be “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”) - then I’ll know that it’s really Christmas.
But really, I want to see all of us, in our own ways, not just looking for it or trying to show it, but I want to see that we all remember to bring our joy.

1. Favorite Christmas Cookie (if you include the recipe, you get extra credit): I am really excited about Donna’s SourCream cookies I made yesterday!!( I still have to bake them) But as of today (and I am not sure if this is a traditional christmas cookie) those peanut butter kind with fork prints on them–my grandma always made those!

2. Favorite Christmas Song: All I want for Christmas is you…-Mariah Carey Christmas, or O come all ye faithful

3. Favorite Christmas tradition: Making candy decorated houses at my grandmas. My grandpa made us wooden houses. We would all bring tons of candy and we would frost our house with icing. Then we would use candy to decorate it and cookies for the roof, and ice cream cones for trees… Then me and my cousins would eat candy until we puked. Then my grandparents always ordered us pizza and we got to sleep over!

4. Favorite Christmas memory:When I came home from Christmas in Illinois on New Years Eve and Rob asked me to marry him (that counts right?- even though its kind of considered New Years Eve?)

5. All I want for Christmas is… a baby to pop out of my belly so I can sleep at night-oh wait-a baby to pop out of my belly so I can never sleep again!

1. Favorite Christmas Cookie: Russian Tea Cakes.

2. Favorite Christmas Song: The First Noel.

3. Favorite Christmas tradition: staying up “all night” with my brothers and sisters talking on Christmas Eve in our PJs so excited for Christmas.

4. Favorite Christmas memory: I remember every one from when the twins were born until I went to college. Every one. They were that memorable every year. I remember Christmas Eve we opened PJs and put them on right away; and we’d go to my room and talk until we fell asleep; and the littlest one would wake up first and try to wake us all up (even if it was still technically night); and we’d go out to the tree, and the room would be full of surprises, and we’d go wake up mom and dad and tell them that Santa had already come and it was time to wake up, and they would take FOREVER getting up, and we’d find the long Christmas letter to all of us and each of us from Santa on the table, and we’d eat the Christmas pastries and cookies in the kitchen that Santa hadn’t eaten (if any), and dad would make coffee and drink a lot of it, and Mom would stay in her PJs and not get dressed up, and we’d all sit on the couches and chairs in the living room in our PJs with our crazy sleep hair, and dad would get out the camera or camcorder and tell us about the year, and Mom would tell us about Jesus and that it was His day, and we would read the bible story of Jesus’ birth from Luke out of the great big white bible that was on the coffee table or on the bookshelf in the living room, Mom told us who would read it, and we all read along with them from memory, and then Dad and Mom would pray. And the presents would be sparkling under the tree, and the stockings exploding with stuff, but they would pray for a long long time. Longer than at Thanksgiving. They prayed for each of us, and other relatives, and friends, and thanks for the year behind, and blessings for the year ahead. And then Mom would talk to us. She’d tell us she loved us, and we’d give her kisses, and she’d give us kisses. And we’d rip into our stockings (if we hadn’t done so already while Mom & Dad were getting up). We’d put down the orange from the top for later eating, and marvel at our new toothbrushes and nail polish and silly putty (who can live without silly putty) and other whatnot. And we’d pass out presents and open, and watch the others open. And Dad would help the little ones open and put in batteries, and get into boxes with his pocket knife. And Mom wouldn’t open any. She’d just sit there and watch. And smile. And receive kisses on her cheek when someone came to thank her. When we were all done opening and kissing, (and crying), we’d have to go make her open hers and look at the treasures we’d made or given her. And then we’d survey the room. There would always be a pile of paper in the middle of the room. A ridiculous huge pile of paper. And, the little one, rather than playing with all of his or her new toys, would play with the paper and box pile. Until Dad or Michelle or Dan got it all put in trash bags and set out in the garage.

5. All I want for Christmas is… to hang out with my great big family. And I will.

1) My favorite cookie is the thumb print cookie rolled in crushed pecans and filled with a jelley bean or with rasberry jelly.

2) Joy to the World.

3) Reading the Christmas Story on Christmas morning right after pigging out on pastries and right befor opening gifts.

4) It is a blend of all the Christmas’s with kids around the tree. Each one was special…each one marked another milestone in life….each one was lovely.

5) All I want for Christmas is to see my children with peace in their heart…smiles on their faces…..faith in their spirit…and hope in their words.

ok family… a little survey for you… cut and paste the questions and post your responses…

1. Favorite Christmas Cookie (if you include the recipe, you get extra credit):

2. Favorite Christmas Song:

3. Favorite Christmas tradition:

4. Favorite Christmas memory:

5. All I want for Christmas is…

Born in 1998!

… and extremely young people whose kidneys can still handle Mountain Dew and coffee day and night…. I’m sipping on Green Tea with Lemons. It just isn’t the same as that old converted garage in Macomb where I could write a 40 page paper in a night… or the 24 hour SteakNShake in Champaign that would let me buy a $1.25 free-refill coke and study four and a half months of material in 47 straight hours… Nope. Now, it’s just me, Fox News Channel (at least I can afford cable now)… my laptop (I love you wireless internet, oh how I love you)… and my couch, covered with papers, pens, highlighters, post-its of various sizes and colors, discarded exhibits all over the floor, and a coffee table full of tea cups, dripping green tea bags, once-hot-now-cold cocoa; and a box of Pepperidge Farm cookies with only the plain ones left (the delicious ones are long gone); and binder clips strewn about. The adrenalin is starting to wear off… but, just a few more edits to my outline, and I’ll be ready for my day tomorrow. Wait. It is tomorrow. I’m going to bed.