Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

What are your holiday quirks?

I don’t know about you, but I pull the Christmas music out every year. My all-time favorite Christmas albums remain The Andy Williams Christmas Album (the red one, not the green one) and Bebe & Cece Winans’s First Christmas. Newly discovered loves include Bebe Winans’s recent My Christmas Wish; Rod Stewart’s Merry Christmas, Baby; and Vanessa Williams’s gorgeous rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear.”

We have an odd tradition in our family. We head out for Chinese food on Christmas Eve. When we lived in Ohio, we didn’t have relatives nearby and didn’t have plans that first year, so we looked for a place to eat—and discovered few places open besides our favorite Chinese restaurant. Our Christmas Day celebration went from a large family event to a smaller, focused time with our family core. I have to say, those Christmases remain my favorites.

Speaking of the niece, gotta be the proud uncle and post Santa pic here. By virtue of her Christmas tights, my brother referred to her attire as “her grunge rocker outfit,” for those of you who remember the 1990s! The kid is one of the best things that ever happened to my life:

What will YOUR holiday celebration include this year? Wherever you are and whomever you’re with, may you know you’re loved and valued—because you are.

Merry Christmas. If Christmas isn’t your thing, happy holidays. And a wonderful new year to you all!

Thanks for reading. Love you all.

Never give up!

John Herrick
johnherrick.net
johnherricknet.blogspot.com