Retro Christmas

So. I was watching the movie "Four Christmases" the other night. I lo-ove Reese Witherspoon and I thought the premise of the movie was promising since Big Dan and I have joked about taking a tropical vacation during Christmas to avoid the hub-bub. We would never do that, of course, because we love our families too much, but watching Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn do it (or attempt to) seemed fun.

Anyway, I was watching the movie and during the part where Vince Vaughn goes to his dad's house-a redneck place with everything inside stuck in the 70's, where Vince Vaughn's sister-in-law serves Ritz crackers and Easy Cheeze-there was this:



And I am not lying when I tell you that this is the EXACT advent calendar hanging in my kitchen!!!!!!! I laughed about this for around two hours!!!!! See, this advent calendar has been around for as long as I can remember, hanging in my childhood home. I have no idea where it came from-in my mind, it's just always existed. When I was a senior in college I got my first apartment with my college roommate. At Christmas time we were excited to decorate our new place. Of course, we were broke, so our decorations were a hodge-podge and the mousie advent calendar hung proudly in our apartment. Yes, it hung proudly, but was mocked by all of my college friends relentlessly. This particular Christmas season was when Big Dan came back into my life. Little did he know the mousie advent calendar would be a part of his life 10 years later!!!!!

I love the thing. It takes me back to the Christmases of my childhood. Which, by the way, were a lot of fun. My mom was a tireless Christmas elf, always wanting everything to be magical. So when I look at the mousie, I remember. I remember listening to my Amy Grant Christmas tape on my ghetto blaster-stopping and rewinding "O Little Town of Bethlehem" practicing what was sure to be a masterful solo someday. I remember the year I got my pink and purple ten speed bike. I remember my sister, Kristin, screaming at every gift she opened. She's the kind of kid you want to have. I (and my son like me) was always a little more reserved with my excitement, but she was wide open and so much fun. I remember yummy lip balm in my stocking every year. The smell of it now always makes me think of Christmas.

So even if my mousie advent calendar was mocked in a movie, I'm keeping it. I'm standing by it. We will faithfully move that mouse every day of December for as long as I live...or until it falls apart. Because it's Christmas to me, man, it's Christmas.