Tis the Season

It's official. The holidays can begin. This weekend I watched It's a Wonderful Life, aka the greatest movie of all time. And I bought a (and almost ate the whole) cheeseball. I'm not sure why, but these two things have really put me in the holiday mood. Now I just need to go to the temple and see the lights. Which I have been begging Ben to do with me for weeks. I also need some of my mom's homemade coconut chocolates, but much, much to my dismay she has informed me she will not be making these this year. Shame, shame. First time I come home for Christmas in two years and my second favorite part of the holidays at the Bassett homefront won't even be making a grand appearance. My first favorite thing, the Christmas Eve program (aka Bassett family not so talented, talent show) was almost canceled but I used my adorable charm to get the program back on schedule. My brothers will love me for this! But I just can't imagine a Bassett family Christmas without the program, it's hard enough our usual audience (Grandma B, and Jack and June) won't be there to watch, but to cancel the whole thing all together is just such a shame.

Now about this favorite movie of mine. Very few movies make me laugh out loud. And very few movies make me cry. So the fact that this one does each every single time I watch it is just amazing . It has to be the most inspirational movie of all time (and according to AFI it really is). And how sweet would that be to really see how the world would be if you had never been born. When I get to heaven that is the one thing I will ask for (if we are infact granted some grandious wish). It just makes me think of Sheri Dew's quote "No one can take your place."

Now I could have titled this post Movies and Cheeseballs but I wanted to also mention how wonderful the season of giving is. I don't know how many of you have checked out donorschoose.org (there is a link to it on the top of my right side column) but it is the most amazing thing ever. It's a place where teachers can go and ask for classroom supplies, like books and technology things, and rich people, like the Gates, can go and purchase these products for the teacher. I have had so much success there. I also ham up my school, mentioning the gang violence and total poverty. Then I plead for someone to help me educate these unfortunate students. First, a bunch of people bought me a set of Lord of the Flies. Then over Thanksgiving break I asked for 35 new young adult books so I could build a classroom library, and literally one week later this guy from New York (and the Gates) bought the whole thing for me. Then yesterday, I found out some guy from Rhode Island (and the Gates) bought me an LCD projector. I am so thrilled. I don't know if it's because they are all trying to get some extra tax right offs or because of the holidays, but I just feel like these people are so generous and giving and I would be so ungrateful if I didn't thank them. My next project is a classroom set of The Outsiders, so if you want to donate, go click on that tab on my right hand column.

Well, I hope everyone is getting in the spirit of things. One of my colleagues told me the other day that Christmas is her least favorite holiday because it brings out the worst in everyone, and people forget about the reason to celebrate. So today I gave her and another colleague the temple's Christmas light schedule and told them that would put them in the right spirit about the holiday. I feel so fortunate to have grown up with the Gospel and to have always had the true meaning of Christmas in my life.