You may be a Shepherd if...

I think it's very important in the chronicling of our tale to point out that our Christmas craziness is not limited to our small sect of the family. A love of the Yule-time is instilled at a very young age and affects all Shepherds both young and old. Here are a few instances since the inception of this blog:

-November 6th the first text from Cheryl (my amazing mother-in-law and the ringleader of this Christmas Circus) was sent asking for Christmas lists as she was in the mood to start shopping

-Aunt Martha (Josh's aunt who has a 6th sense for just the right present in just the right size for the boys) sent out their annual Christmas shirts with a note saying that she "knew it was early but they can wear it while lights are hung." She must not have known Project Icicle Drip and Droop 2k11 (my new name for the front porch lighting) had already begun.

-I came down the stairs over the weekend to hear Josh in an in-depth conversation regarding the differences between LED and traditional Christmas lights (yes, we Shepherds have an official stance on lights: LED is not warm and Christmas-y enough. We prefer a warm glow, not to be bowled over with laser beams.)

-9am Saturday morning, Josh informs me from the other room that The Santa Clause is on the Hallmark Channel. How could he know that from the other room? And more importantly, who is monitoring the Hallmark Channel? Why, that would be Miss Jayme Shepherd down in Atlanta. She is in charge of holiday programming and ensures that no one in the family will miss out on a key viewing experience.

I'm sure there are more instances than even I know about. The Shepherd summit has not met yet to decide exactly which presents to buy and when to exchange, but I'm sure that's coming down the line as well. The boys received their X-mas jammies last night and Ethan was super excited to get in the holiday spirit. I'm still in the midst of my research, but I'm pretty sure I can prove that the Shepherd family shares at least a chromosome or two with Kris Kringle himself.

Next up...a Lubore Turducken Day, my Bday Extravaganza and Black Friday...