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Hello Reader,

I don't know about you, but I never tire of good Christmas music. I could listen to it all year long! And if you spot me in any store where they're piping carols through the speaker system, you'll likely hear me singing along.

To me, singing Christmas carols is like eating Doritos. I can never stop at just one! (Or maybe that was that the tagline for Ruffles? I can't remember).

While I have all the willpower in the world to resist potato chips, those nacho flavor corn chips are a different story. And so are the seasonal songs of my childhood: "Silent Night." "O Holy Night." "The First Noel." And on and on they go, over the hills and everywhere!

If you feel the same way, the following link list is especially for you. Let's belt out our beloved Christmas carols all season long, okay?

Free resources for you this week:

• ​How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Carols - match the title with lyrics from each song
• ​50 Christmas Carols to Sing this Season - a bucket list for music-loving folks like us :-)
• ​12 Days of Christmas Labels - assign each party or dinner guest a line to sing in rounds
• ​Name that Song - can you identify each carol from just the first few notes?
• ​Christmas Caroling Song Sheets - lyrics to the most popular, for serenading your neighbors
• ​Christmas Carols for the Harmonica - a portable way to accompany carol-singing anywhere
• ​Silent Night Coloring Page - based on one of the most well-known carols of all time

What we're watching this week:

We went to see I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day the day it opened in theaters. It tells the story of how Henry Wadsworth Longfellow came to write the beloved Christmas hymn for which the movie was named. We knew very little of Longfellow's backstory before seeing this movie, and learning it made these song lyrics all the more poignant. Keep a box of tissues handy when you watch it.

What I'm reading this week:

As has been my habit every December since I first published it, I've been reading through my devotional journal Joy to the World this month and completing a few new pages. The book is filled with writing prompts, word studies, and beautiful vintage artwork, all on an advent theme. It's a great way to center my thoughts on the real Reason for this Season.

Progress on last week's goals:

I ✅ decorated our Christmas tree (several of them, in fact), ✅ fielded questions on marriage and motherhood during an interview with my Indian friend (you can listen to a recording of our talk here and here and here), and ✅ got a lot of good work done on my Poland Powerpoint for our upcoming Flanders Family Geography Challenge (although I still have more to do).

I did not, however, get any house lights strung yet. My old-school outdoor outlets may keep that from happening at all this year.

Personal goals for this week:

• finish last of Christmas shopping
• make Polish costume for geography talk
• help hubby & kids with Power Point slides
• calculate/ post semester grades for algebra students
• pack bags for trip (including gifts to hand deliver)
• cut two sons' hair

A new poll for you this week:

Last week's poll was almost evenly split between those who favored live trees and those who prefer the artificial variety.

This week's question: Which would you rather snack on -- Doritos or Ruffles (or something else entirely)?

These days, popcorn is my go-to snack when I get the munchies! I normally stay away from Doritos since I have such a hard time stopping once I start.

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