This Week = Suck, Christmas = The Best

So it's finals week. Yuck, gross, the worst. It means staying up late and stress and eating weird things and drinking too much coffee (I always drink too much coffee, but this is waaaaaay too much coffee). Still, I have a secret! Only it got out! And I'm glad! Guess what???
IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!
Or, more precisely, it's Advent. But, anyway, can I tell you how much I love Christmas? I Love Christmas. In fact, I love almost everything about Christmas! Except these things:
1. Blow-up yard Santas/Snowglobes/Snowmen, etc. - Tacky!
2. Fruitcake. ~Sorry, fruitcake-lovers of the world.
3. Kids finding out Santa isn't real. - A very traumatic experience for me (naturally).
4. The song "Santa Baby" - I'm sorry, but bribing Santa with implied sexual favors is just Wrong.
5. Greedy people. - No explanation necessary.
I'm sure I'll think of some more, but really, it's hard. I like just about everything at Christmas, including:
1. Christmas lights! - There's a reason why college students leave them up all year! They're just so lovely and festive and make the world so magical!
2. Christmas cookies! - One year, Roommate and I had a cookie-decorating party, with homemade sugar cookies and frosting, and it was The Best. We had waaaay too much fun!
3. Christmas songs! - I love them all (nearly, see above). I love the traditional ones, I like new ones, I love sacred ones, I love the 'secular' ones that I was taught to hate. I think my favorite Christmas carol is "O Come All Ye Faithful," but I love everything from that to "Let it Snow" to "Better Days" by the Goo-goo Dolls.
4. Advent Wreaths - Ohmygosh! My absolute favorite! When I was growing up, during every Sunday night during Advent we would light the candles of the Advent wreath, read a Christmas reading from the Bible, and eat desert. My college friends and I tried to continue this, and it was The Best.
5. Christmas trees! - Despite all those scary anti-Christmas tree people (I wish I had a link, they're pretty crazy and pretty funny), I love, love, Love Christmas trees. I love decorating them, I love smelling them, I love sitting by them at night with just the Christmas lights on. However, I do not like killing them. Someday I will have to tell you some funny stories about Christmas trees. ;-)
6. Getting presents! - Come on, admit it, you like getting presents! (Or maybe you don't. Apparently, some people Really Don't Like getting Christmas presents.) I love it! I love the surprise and magic, the wondering and suspense of looking at the boxes under the tree. Oh, and did I mention I love Wrapping presents?? It's like my favorite!
7. Giving Presents! - Honestly, this may be my favorite part. Yes, I love getting presents, it's so much fun! But giving them is just so exciting, I just love to shop, and think about what the person would like, and them imagine the person getting their gift. . . . I think that's one part of having kids I can't wait for, giving them presents. I mean, I'm sure I"m Totally Idealizing this, but it's so magical to give adults presents, I can't imagine how much fun it must be to put out all the toys from Santa and watch them giggle with glee, all the while knowing it was me (and husband) that was causing all their fun.
Now watch me, ten years from now, hate giving Christmans presents to my kids above all things. ;-) Still, I think not. With Christmas, and presents, what's not to love?