Perry Como is the sound of Christmas.

At least he is to me.

I grew up listening to 'Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music' with my family. We owned the 8-track and then the album. As an adult I bought the CD for my own family and we listen to it throughout the holidays. Perry and I perform a duet on every song and I match him word for word, if not note for note.

In fact, I was singing along with Perry as I began to write this, but I had to turn him off because I kept typing "I-I-I-I-I-I'm dreaming of a whi-i-i-i-ite Christmas..." and it's hard to type in baritone when you're an off-key soprano.

Perry Como is a part of my Christmas tradition.

I love keeping traditions during the holidays. For instance, I am in charge of providing dessert for both the Cunningham and Devlin family gatherings. I have long suspected that this is because they are afraid to eat my regular cooking and if I bring dessert there is a 50 per cent chance that I'll just pick something up at the bakery; but it's still a tradition.

We have already celebrated Devlin family Christmas this year. I brought a homemade chocolate cake that I made from a box, and chocolate Turtles. This covered both the fearless and the fearful.

For the Cunningham family Christmas this week I will be surprising everyone with two new homemade holiday desserts - peanut brittle and soft gingerbread; in addition to my traditional pies.

I got the recipe for the peanut brittle from one of Nigella Lawson's Christmas specials on the Food Network. All I need to make it is water, sugar, peanuts and the faith to believe a celebrity chef's claim that this recipe is so easy anyone can do it. Although I doubt Nigella has ever met someone who cooked a toaster, I am going to forget my charred plastic past and believe I can make this dessert.

How can I go wrong with the instruction: "Cook until it's amber"?

The gingerbread recipe is from a 'Little House on the Prairie' cookbook I own. It's more of a gingerbread cake than a hard gingerbread and it comes with a hidden bonus. No one knows I'm bringing soft gingerbread, so if it's overcooked I can just saw it into pieces, glob on some royal icing and decorate it with gumdrops. Et voilà - a gingerbread dwelling of some sort!

We will also be partaking in our Christmas Eve tradition of opening one gift each (always pyjamas) and trying to stay awake later than the kids, whose ability to remain mobile and coherent past midnight far exceeds that of their tired parents'.

"Go...sleep... wrap..."

"What did Mom say?"

"I don't know. Either she wants us to go get Saran wrap or we're supposed to go to bed."

Another favourite tradition of mine was fulfilled a few weeks ago. We not only decorated the inside of the house, but this year I managed to get Gord up a ladder to put Christmas icicle lights on the outside of the house. And then I managed to get him back up the ladder to straighten out the crooked lights hanging slightly to the left of the centre roof peak. And then I managed to get him back up the ladder to attach a plug to the end of each line. And then I managed to catch the look on his frozen face before I opened my mouth again.

The house looks good.

There's only one thing I'd like to do to improve it and start a new tradition.

I'm still looking for an inflatable Perry Como lawn ornament.