No childhood is perfect, but when I reflect on my Christmas memories, I must admit that most of them are pretty darn good. My mom was always big on holidays, so for me and my little brother, Christmas meant stringing popcorn, baking cookies, making handmade ornaments, watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and going caroling. (My mom is generally a pretty quiet person, but for some reason, she’s close to obnoxious when it comes to door-to-door caroling!)