Christmas is a time to make new memories and remember the old

I have a few Christmas memories that I absolutely love remembering this time of year. I have bad memories, which I have written about in this blog but today I am focusing on my favorite ones.

My earliest Christmas memory is from around the age of 5 or 6. My parents had me and my brother with them while they went to the toy store to pick up a few things, and this was back when they would gift wrap everything for you. They come out to the van with this HUGE already wrapped present and I just knew that it was for me. Every time I would ask if it was mine or try to touch it my dad would say "Touch it and I make you watch homeless kids play with it." That only made me want to see what it was more, but I didn't want to watch other kids playing with it so I left it alone. Christmas morning, at around 4am, me and my brother get up while our parents were still sleeping like the dead and rip open every single damn present under the tree. The giant present was one of those big fisher price kitchens, which of course made our freaking day! So, at 4am my brother and I drag this thing down the hall, into our parents room, start screaming for them to look what Santa brought us and shove this kitchen thing on the bed, on top of our dad. Then we ran back to the living room to pile our arms up with everything else and throw those on top of our parents as well. Needless to say.. we got in trouble if we didn't wait till they woke up for Christmases following that one.

My next memory is every Christmas Eve we got to open one present before we went to bed. This satisfied us until we were 8 and 9, then we started begging to open everything under the tree before we went to bed. After a while our parents finally agreed but told us that if we were so impatient to open presents they would make sure that Santa brought us nothing to open the next morning. We were totally fine with that since we had no patience and wanted everything as soon as we saw them under the tree.
Also, around this time my brother and I had learned the main 2 spots our mom would hide presents and while our dad was at work and our mom was asleep on the couch we would go through those spots and count how many presents we had gotten. I had also mastered the art of opening the presents to look at them and wrapping them back up like they had never been touched. Of course, my dad caught on real quick but my mom took a little while longer. I did that until I was around 19. Pathetic I know.

Around 10 and 11 we started opening all our presents on Christmas eve and had nothing to open Christmas morning so everyone could sleep in. This didn't bother my brother and I because that meant we could still wake up early and play with our new presents. Every year my dad would get a 'family' gift or a big gift my brother and I would share, which back in the 90s was Nintendo stuff so we would play Mario or compete in driving games the entire next day.

When my brother and I were in middle school we woke up Christmas morning knowing there was nothing under the tree and our parents would be awake, because we were teenagers we needed sooo much more sleep lol. We go out to the living room and our mom is in the kitchen making breakfast and we see the tree. There are a good 30 more presents under the tree. My brother and I look at each other, back at the tree, back at each other, and scream "OH MY GOD!!!!" then hear our mom laughing in the kitchen. They decided to surprise us with more presents to open Christmas morning.

My absolute favorite Christmas memory is from when I was around 16. My best friend and I decided we would cut down a baby tree from the yard our apartment building was on. I get our super dull ax out and we walk out to the property line. We found the perfect 4ft tall tree and proceed to chop it down. As we are dragging the tree back to my apartment my friend notices something on the tree. We stop walking so he can find out what he is looking at. It is an old wasps nest. It's the middle of December, the nest was long dead, but my friend started screaming like a wasp was going to come out and murder us. He then starts running around the yard to find a stick, comes back to the tree and starts beating the ever loving shit out of the tree. He is still screaming the entire time he is doing this and it is taking everything I have not to piss myself while I laugh at what I am seeing. He hates it when I share this story, which makes me want to share it more.

Now, as a mother, I continue to make new memories watch Christmas happen through my childs eyes, but these are a few of my "pre mommy" favorite memories. Hope you enjoyed.

Just because I gave it to you doesn't mean you get to keep it

My moms side of the family is notorious for giving you a gift then expecting it back if they find out you are done with it, or expecting the money you get for returning/selling the gift if you don't like it.
Talk about "Indian Givers" -- now I know that term is probably not PC anymore, but get over it.. I said it my entire childhood.
If I was given clothes by my grandma or aunts and they found out I returned them, because they were hideous, they would say that I should have given the money from the returns to them. In their mind.. I didn't keep the gift so it should have gone straight back to them, even though as soon as it was handed over to me it was mine, therefor no longer theirs to lay claim over. So that is when I started getting things like sock, underwear, and crap like that.
Boogers first Christmas with my aunt in Arizona my aunt got him a bunch of shirts and books. He was 5 at the time, how many 5 year old want 90% of their presents to be books and shirts? So, being the unfiltered 5 year old he was when he opened a present he would say "I don't like that." So, of course, my aunt would respond with "fine give it back and I will give it to someone else." Before Booger could agree I would say, this is his now and he can return them and get something he likes. Which pissed her off, in turn, making it more enjoyable for me because it would really piss her off. I'm sorry, the tag had his name, not yours, that in turn makes it HIS to do with as he pleases.
When me and Booger were moving home my mom bought him a DS Lite so he would have his own and something to play with on the plane. The following Christmas Santa got him a DSi, so we traded in the DS Lite and he got games to play for the new one. My mom found out about this and said "well, I would have liked it if he was done with it. I was the one that bought it for him." Ok, and? It was his, he got a new one, so he traded it in for games. Just because he was done with it does not automatically make it yours again.
This past Christmas my mom bought him n easy bake oven because he had been asking one. He hasn't played with it because he wants to play with it when his sister is over, which hasn't been often.. but.. again my mom found out he wasn't using it and called me asking if she could have it back to take to the consignment shop for some pocket change. Um, no. It is his, therefor anything that would come from it is also his.
I don't remember exactly what was given to me and by which family member, but I was given something for my birthday a while back and came upon some hard times. I sold the item and used the money. The family member found out about it and spent an hour chewing me out because that money belonged to them. They gave me said item, so when I no longer felt the need to keep it it should have gone back to them or any money acquired from the item.
The concept of a gift just completely goes over their heads. It is a gift until they see you no longer want it, then it was no longer a gift but a loan. I am sorry, but that is not what a gift is. Please look up gift in the dictionary and if you can't handle that then stop giving them out. Thank you ever so kindly.

The 7 men that just make my heart melt

I am the type of girl that you would call "boy crazy." I have never had just one crush at a time. I have had a crush on 10 guys at the same time. Because every single one of them are attractive in their own way. Yes, they are physically attractive, but it is also their personality that I find incredibly attractive as well. I also know that a handful of the guys I was attracted too were asshats and didn't deserve my attention, but they got it anyways.
Where I have A LOT of crushes is when it comes to celebrities. I know that I don't know them, I am not around them, I have never spoken to them, but I do see what they post on social networks. The pictures, posts, videos they share show more about their personality than what an interview shows. There are times where it is just a strong appreciation for their physical appearance. With some of them how can you not look at them and just think (or say) "Dayum they are gorgeous!"
So I decided to share my top 7 celebrity crushes and why I am crushing on them. It feels weird saying 'crush' at 29 years old lol. Anyways.. here you go!

#1 is the one and only Johnny Depp. Aside from the fact that he could make looking homeless hot, he is beautiful on the inside and out. The first thing I ever saw him in was "Benny and Joon" and I was just drawn to his character. A little off bu completely lovable at the same time. Every single role Johnny has played just comes to life. There is so much depth and you can tell that this character has a past, a history, dreams, goals, aspirations. Not many actors out there can get that feeling across with the characters they play. For 20 years I have been a fan of his. I don't understand how woman don't find him attractive.

#2 is Jamie Campbell Bower. Jamie is probably the most recent celebrity crush on my list, only because the other guys have been on my list since I was younger. Jamie is a very attractive young man, but it is his personality in interviews and the posts that he shares on Twitter. He isn't afraid to be him no matter how silly he looks. That is something that is highly respectable and very sexy. I love a man that knows how to let loose and have fun. I first saw him play Anthony in "Sweeny Todd" along side Mr. Depp. His first big screen movie a long side Johnny and the amazing Helena Bonham Carter was so impressive because you could not tell that was his first major motion picture. His singing voice is so beautiful as well and just draws you in and has you begging for more. Jamie is absolutely one celebrity I wish I could sit down for drinks with.

#3 is sort of a twofer. Benji and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte. I have been a fan of Good Charlotte since before MTV played their music in the 90s. Even though they are twins Benji has always been my favorite. Something about him just always struck out more than with his brother Joel. I will even over look the fact that he dated Paris Hilton. I mean really dude? Love a man covered in tattoos with piercings.

#4 is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When I first saw him in "Angels in the Outfield" I thought he was absolutely adorable, but it was when he was on "3rd Rock From The Sun" that my celebrity crush on him really developed. But now, it is more an absolute respect for what he is doing with Hit RECord. He is also very humble. He has been quoted saying that a sex scene in a movie is just an excuse to see two people naked and has nothing to do with the story. He is incredibly handsome and dapper. I have so much respect for him and what he is doing in his professional life. When I watch 50/50 I had to have the box of kleenex next to me. I laughed and cried with his character. It made me think of how I would handle the situation he was in. I think about that stuff a lot but 50/50 just brought a whole new light to the though process. I honestly don't know if I would be able to leave my bed if I found out I had cancer and was that sick.

#5 is Matthew Gray-Gubbler. I will be absolutely honest and say that my crush on him started solely because of his looks. I find him absolutely sexy. I only started watching "Criminal Minds" just to see him on tv every week, but grew to absolutely love the show. Like Jamie (#2) I follow him on twitter and see the things he posts which just makes him so much more attractive. Another man that is not afraid to let loose and have fun in everything he does. Matthew is another celebrity I would love to sit down for drinks with. Or co-judge a taco eating contest with. I look forward to watching his work as his career continues to grow.

#6 is James Fraco. With James my first thoughts are "Daniel Desario." James is most defiantly a guy that likes to make his fans happy and he has fun doing it. Just look at his instagram, which I wish I had but I won't pay for a smart phone plan. He is funny as well and I respect any man that has no problem, on national television, when talking about his little brother say "Isn't he so cute?" James is another actor where you can see him get so involved in who his character is. It's not a "how would this guy act" it is a "I am this guy so how would I act" type of thing.

#7. The one. The only. The amazing. The talented. The beautiful. This hilarious Justin Timberlake. He can sing, he can dance, he can act, he is great at comedy. He is a quadruple threat. I mean. N*Sync, SNL, Alpha Dogs, do I need to say more? No? Well I will, the way he talks about his wife. That is a way that every woman wants to be talked about by the man that loves him. There is no denying that Justin is a man that is not afraid to show, scream, to the world that he is in love and thinks that Jessica is the most amazing woman to grace his life.

Um thanks, but no thanks!

Getting closer to Christmas and I have been remembering some of the worst gifts I have ever gotten and I thought I would share them with you fine people of the internet.

Worst gift #1: When I was 13 I had gotten a gift box of 20 pairs of earrings for pierced ears from my grandma on my dads side. Only problem with that... I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 16.. When my mom and I pointed that out to my grandma her response was "Well, then pierce her ears. How was I supposed to know she didn't have pierced ears?" Oh, I dunno, you're my grandma. How about you PAY ATTENTION!

Worst gift #2: A box of underwear from one of my aunts. Every single one was a different size and none of them were the size I wore when they were given to me.

Worst gift #3: When I was 18 my grandma on my moms side gave me a card that said "I was going to give you $50 but I gave $25 to your aunt to pay her back since I know you never will and the other $25 I am holding onto until you show you are serious about growing up."

Worst gift #4: A set of bar soaps. I am allergic to bar soap. It is well known in the family. I break out in hives.

Worst gift #5: An "IOU" because they ran out of money to buy my gift after buying gifts for the rest of our friends in high school.

Worst gift #6: Again in high school, another year where they 'forgot' about me I was given 3 used pencils.

There have been more gifts like this, but I have blocked those out of my memory. I swore when I bought gifts for people I would pay attention to what they liked and asked for so I was never known for giving the worst gift of the year. Thankfully, I haven't gotten a worst gift in a few years. I guess that means I am due for another one soon though!