'Tis the season to be jolly

December has gotta be my favourite month of the year.

It is a time when you reminisce about all the things that happened in this year, both good and bad, you are thankful for the good things and you pick yourself up from the bad ones.

A time when you look forward to huddling round the fireplace with your loved ones, enjoying the feeling of pure family bliss.

A time when you sing and hum to Christmas carols, hold hands, dance around the tree and simply embrace the love that's in the air.

You know, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning for me since I came to Sweden.

What I love most is that I can always look forward to a white Christmas. A really, really white one. I don't have to go to Snow City to experience real snow or amuse myself with the artificial snow at Tanglin Mall. Instead, I can build snowmans and throw snow balls right outside my window.

So, what's up for Christmas 2011? Let's just say it's going to be a really Merry (and somewhat crowded) Christmas this year.

Remember our trip to Sälen last year where I tried skiing for the first time and we braved the dog sleighing experience? Guess what, we are heading there again this year the week before Christmas. Plus, we are bringing along jw's parents, brother, sister-in-law, 6-year-old niece and 4-year-old nephew. Yes, that makes nine of us. The kids are going to ski for the first time and since Angel can now run and jump about, I'm pretty sure she can better enjoy snow sledging, rolling in the snow and making snow angels.

Then on Christmas eve, my mum and dad are going to arrive in Sweden! Woohoo! That makes 11 of us in our rather cramped house but isn't this the season to feel warm, to get cosy and to cuddle up?

On the 25th, jw and I decided to spend a really simple Christmas day with our families. We are going to bring them to our favourite Wämöparken where we will have a nice BBQ, build Frosty and immerse in some snow sledging fun. I can't even describe how shiok it feels to drink a cup of hot Milo when your hands are numb and your body is freezing.

At night, it will be like a family reunion and we will have a steamboat dinner at home. Of course, exchanging of gifts is a must on Christmas and we will randomly draw lots and swap presents by the Christmas tree. I'm determined to have a tree this year, if jw doesn't buy it, I'm going to uproot one from the forest.

As for the kids, well, Santa Claus is going to make sure they get plenty of goodies. When I was a child, I always dreamt of Santa Claus wriggling his way down my imaginary chimney, tiptoeing around the house to find my rather tiny sock and then gently putting in a surprise gift for me. The first thing I wake up every Christmas is to run to my sock and tell Mummy "Mama, I've a present, I'm a good girl!"

Even though one day, I realised that the Santa Claus was always my mum, I could still recall those fond memories and the childhood fantasies that lived in my heart.

Which is why I decided to let Angel have a chance to meet Santa this year. =) Guess who? Not me, not my mum.

Ta-dah!

5 reasons why Dad should be the Santa instead of Mum:

1) Men can mimic the classic "Ho-ho-ho" in the deep, throaty voice better than women. True for jw.

2) Men make taller, brawnier and burlier Santas. Hmmm, half true since jw is less than 10cm taller than me. Did I mention I can fit his jeans? *gasp*

3) Men have a bigger, fuller belly so we can save on the fake padding. Not true, I don't want to admit it but jw has a flatter tummy. He won't be, if he had given birth to a baby.

4) Men can say silly jokes and do silly dances better than women. Well, true for jw, he has a way to do the most ridiculous things and make me laugh.

5) Kids are less likely to realise Daddy is not around but they will detect once Mummy is missing. Perfectly true.

Besides, I think jw will make a much more charming and charismatic Santa whereas I will probably look more like  孙悟空 (The Monkey God). Right? I'm just hoping that the Santa outfit won't be too much of a jumbo fit for my petite hubby and that I can keep myself from bursting into laughter and giving the game away.

So, it's gonna be a month of fun and excitement ahead of us, what's more this is going to be our last winter in Sweden and probably my last white Christmas, which makes me want to cherish every moment of December all the more.

A ten-year-old girl once said:

“The Christmas spirit is being jolly and remembering all the things to be jolly for.”

“The Christmas spirit means, even when you don’t get what you want, you’re still grateful for what you did get.”

“The Christmas spirit is about getting excited, and having belief, and magic, and faith.”

“The Christmas spirit is about having everybody available in your family together…except if it is a really big outdoor dog.”

“It is about giving to other people more than to yourself.”

Let's all get into this magical and wonderful spirit of Christmas, shall we?

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, 

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

'Tis the season to be jolly, 

Fa la la la la, la la la la.