So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodnight....2007

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight.

Well, kinda but not really. This Christmas has been wonderful, every year it grows less about presents and more about why Jesus was sent to earth in the first place, which is a beautiful thing. 2007 has been an amazing year for us but I look forward to the future even more because of it. And so the holidays are done and we bid au'voir to 2007 but here is one last holiday blog since there is still 34 hours until 2008.

It occured to me while watching my favorite Christmas movies this year (you know, Wizard of Oz, Anne of Green Gables, Sound of Music...hehe....traditional Christmas movies) that there was a lot to learn from these women. Some of the lessons maybe should have sunk in when I was younger but better late than never, right? So here are some things I've learned from these movies.

1. Fake it til you make it. These ladies knew they should have confidence they just weren't entirely sure how to get it. They put on a brave face and pretended they felt as confident as they acted, not allowing themselves to be bullied or walked all over. In the end they found confidence by standing up for what they believed in and succeeding.
2. You can't outrun your problems. All of these ladies ran for the hills when problems came up. problems they thought they could outrun. But the problems didn't go away, or got worse, or just seemed preferable to the problems they faced away from home. They all learned that home is where the heart is, life and all it's problems are a lot easier to face when you are with the ones you love to support you.
3. Play by your own rules. These ladies stood up for principles, they were not 'yes' women who bowed to authority just for authority's sake, they stood up for what was right, even if it meant having to break a few rules to do it. Fighting for what was important meant sometimes compromising society's 'norm' but also meant not compromising their integrity. In most cases people come to their senses and realize their unfairness, prejudice, control issues, etc. or a house falls on them.
4. Honesty is the best policy. These ladies were honest in the most blunt of ways, refusing to suck up, bow to pressure, or let other people go unchecked. But their honesty was also in their sincerity to see people just release themselves of all false pretense and just be themselves. Their honesty and sincerity won and changed the hearts of many.

I really miss movies that laid such great moral foundations and also appealed to children, but I am glad these movies are really quite timeless in their journeys and I know one day I will be sharing them with young ones who hopefully learn these lessons a lot earlier than I did.

And moving on, what's a holiday blog without some talk about presents and thankfulness. Here are my 10 Best Gifts of the 2007 Holiday Season (not in any particular order of priority)

10. The many nice comments about my homemade Christmas cards. I like to see that my effort is enjoyed and appreciated.
9. The very nice and helpful handymen who have had to do some fixit stuff around the house for little to no cost.
8. Tickets to see Big & Rich with my sweetie.
7. My sweetie dedicating an evening to watching Anne of Green Gables and Sound of Music with me.
6. Cabbage Roll leftovers.
5. The gifts that allowed me to create and fill my new crafting room, I call it my Scrappy Place (hehe, like Happy Place, lol).
4. 11 days off in a row.
3. My sister Jodi and her whole family living in Manitoba, not just for the holiday season, but most likely permanently.
2. Finding out I’m going to be an Auntie again, new little one is due in late August.
1. 30 years of a wonderful life! (which I don’t need Christmas movies to make me realize I have)