Christmas Special 2020

Wow, can you believe that 2020 is finally over?! I know a lot of people are looking forward to getting 2020 in the review mirror and hope 2021 will be better.

We typically travel for Thanksgiving but since we didn't this year and I was grumpy about it I decided to get the Christmas tree up the first weekend in November! We also took advantage of the warm weather and got the outside lights up too. 

I have also dabbled in floral design recently, trying my hand at some Christmas planters and some mason jar centerpieces for the table. 

And I have been baking, lots and lots of baking. Reminding me that I should make cookies more often because they are gooood! This year I made sugar cookies with royal icing, ginger creams, brownie truffles and chocolate crinkles. And there is plans for a peach pie! 

What have you been up to this holiday season?

On Holiday

Y'all I am so excited for the weekend! Pretty much because its the weekend and I want to catch up on sleep. And we are attending a few Christmas parties. And I may still throw some Christmas lights and decorations up! I'll be taking the next week off from blogging to just relax and de-stress a bit. BUT I'll still be at work :( boo! Because I had a baby this year and because of how my company’s maternity leave policy works I don’t have any vacation time left for the year. So I’ll have the 24th and 25th off and the 31st and 1st off – Two 4 day weekends. Here is what I wish to accomplish with those days off:

Dec. 24th - 27th

These days will be filled with family gatherings, cooking, eating and opening presents! Not much else will happen. Period. And I will utilize my family to help me clean up all the Christmas decorations and get as much as we can put back in the attack! All our guests will depart either the 26th or the 27th and we’ll have our house back.

Dec. 31st

Lola has an appointment at the doggie cardiologist, I really wanted this day to clean and reorganize the house but Matt will have to take care of that while I take Lola to her appointment, that’s over an hour away. Alana’s daycare is actually open on the 31st so we plan on bringing her in for part of the day while we get stuff done! So far no party has been planned for New Years…I know, LAME. But it’s how we roll; and how much partying can one do with an 8 month old?!

Jan. 1st – 3rd

We will probably spend these days continuing to get the house in order. Have you seen Gayle getting the house ready for company on YouTube…HIL-arious! And I want to binge watch some Downton Abbey; I’m half way through season 3. We need to paint some walls to cover up all the dog slobber that has been flung everywhere. And I want to update some things on the blog, have a good stock pile of posts ready for the new year and get back into the social media game. We'll also be going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday that was earlier in the month (our babysitter wasn't available for my birthday weekend). 

{don't pretend *NSYNC's Christmas song inst stuck in your head now}

Christmas Time Is Here

Last week I was really starting to get into the Christmas spirit; it was starting to cool down, our tree was up, and lights wrapped the trees in our front yard (I still want to put more lights out). Then the forecast for this week came out…it’s going to be in the 80’s on Friday! WhAt?!? I’ll be back in my flip flops in no time!

We got the tree up right after Thanksgiving with the help of my brother and dad. They also helped me string up the lights outside. We have most all the presents already wrapped and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! My mom was here to help up over the weekend and she brought all the presents she had wrapped and it’s looking like we’ll have an epic Christmas! I am excited to host it at our house for the first time. After hosting Thanksgiving I am ordering a Honey Baked ham and I think we're going to use festive paper plates so it lightens the dish washing load!

The past couple of Christmas' there really hasn't been a whole lot that I want - everything I want is for the little one. Last year she wasn't here yet but she was on my mind and this year all I want/need is stuff for my growing little girl!

What are you doing to get in the Christmas spirit?! Watching movies? Singing carols? 

5 Things I Love about December

I love December! I love it because I like getting presents and what month is better for that than December when you celebrate Christmas AND my birthday! 

1 – Presents! Call me materialistic but I just love getting presents and giving presents! My husband and I usually open our presents sometime before Christmas since we travel to see family but this year the celebrations are at our house and we must wait! Plus Alana is with us now and I am so excited to see what she will be doing by the end of the month!

2 – Christmas/Holiday cards! Call me old school but I just love getting cards in the mail. And this time of year seems to be the only time people actually send cards; it’s wonderful! This year I am sort of cheating and I am creating the cards online and they are going to pre-address them for us, I just don’t have the time.

3 – Watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music! Having Christmas movies on in the back ground is a must. Elf usually always makes it on the TV a few times this month (one of the only DVDs my husband and I both had when we moved in together). We had Home Alone on the other night and last year we watched this really cute, newer movie called Arthur Christmas. Now I do think some of the radio stations start a little early with the holiday music but it’s fun to start getting into the Christmas spirit!

4 – Decorating! As much as I wish I could pay someone to decorate for us, I love having the decorations up. I love looking at the lights in the yard and the ornaments on the tree that remind me of past travels.

5 – Time with family and friends! I have only spent one holiday without my family and that was when my best friend and I went to Italy for 2 weeks back in 2008. It was quite the trip! We missed our family but we had fun and it was a trip we will never forget! Buon Natale! And one year I hope to spend Christmas in Hawaii :)

joyeux Noël | god jul | Maligayang Pasko | Nollaig Shona | Frohe Weihnachten

Feliz Navidad | Buon Natale | Mele Kalikimaka

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah

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