Well, I’m going to be in holiday hangover mode for quite a while. Not because of drinking, but because of the sheer laziness that has happened over the past few days. The Husband and I saw family and friends, we ate far too much, we watched a lot of (really spectacular and frustrating) football, we watched some holiday movies, we went to church, and we spent a lot of time just hanging out together.
It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.
And now the Husband is embarking on a new adventure… he has his first day of work at a new job today! Send him some positive thoughts if you think of it! Exciting things happening, exciting things for sure.
And I’m sitting in bed (yes, it’s 11am, don’t judge), listening to a holiday song list on Songza. Because life is good.
I should probably take the little Monster out soon, but he’s sitting next to me snoring away, so I think we’re good for a while. If only I could get hot chocolate delivered right to my bedside table, I’d probably never have to leave this very spot!
Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays in whatever fashion you celebrated them in!
And because I’m officially all about the Christmas season, now that Thanksgiving is over, I thought I would do another ‘ABC’ post, in honor of the most wonderful time of the year. (Actually, I think March Madness is actually the most wonderful time of the year, but I have a feeling that’s not a popular sentiment, so we’ll go with Christmas for now).
Last year the Husband and I were on a safari over the Christmas holiday, so we kind of missed all of the ‘traditional’ stuff… hence my extra-excitement for this year!
Christmas 2012:
1.) This little guy somehow got a Santa hat! Hopefully not by eating Santa… (They don’t have Santa in Tanzania, so they call these ‘Christmas hats’).
2.) Our non-traditional Christmas dinner prepared by our chef at the campsite.
3.) We found a Christmas tree!
4.) Our Christmas morning picture. See our tent in the background? No makeup, no dress clothes. The reason I look so ‘rough’ is because it rained the night before and I got zero sleep and had to pee for eight hours before I braved going outside to find the outhouse. It was a memorable Christmas Eve and I really did love it.
See, it was pretty non-tradition! So, these are the things I’m most looking forward to this year. In ABC order, of course.
____________________
Apple cider (hot, of course). Is there any better way to warm up than drinking a mug of hot apple cider? I think not!
Baking cookies / holiday themed cupcakes. As you may know, I am no expert in the kitchen. HOWEVER, the exception to this is baking. I love baking.
Cards in the mail. I love receiving snail mail, and I especially love seeing photo cards with my friends’ beautiful faces.
Decorations. I even love the cheesy decorations, because they just make me so happy, darnit. However, ironically, we have no decorations up in our apartment because we don’t actually own any, and I don’t want to buy them because then we have to move them in a few months… it’s really quite sad.
Eggnog. I could probably survive solely on eggnog at this time of year, but I’m not going to try it.
Fireplaces and cuddling (with either my dog or husband) in front of one.
Gifts. Mainly buying the perfect gift for someone. Otherwise I just get annoyed circling the store trying to find something acceptable.
Holiday movies. ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, ‘Love Actually’, ‘Elf’, ‘Christmas Vacation’ and ‘The Holiday’ are a few of my favorites.
Ingesting all sorts of holiday food goodness. Fudge, cookies, eggnog, wine, spiced apple cider, biscuits, etc.
Jolly and joy… two of my favorite words.
Kissing under mistletoe. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Listening to some awesome church sermons on the true meaning of this time of year and the celebrations we have.
Music (holiday themed, of course) on the radio. Every station seems so much more happy and joyful. Plus, I know all of the words to the songs!
New Years countdown. Can you believe we’re a month away from 2014?! Wow.
Outdoor activities, like ice skating, skiing (although I don’t think we’ll be going this year), snowball fights, etc.
Pies! Pies are always in season, though (just to be clear).
Quietness of streets when snow is falling and most people are inside (except us dog owners that are forced outside at least a few times a day, regardless of the weather!)
Reflecting on the past year and the challenges and joy it brought us.
Snow. But only the fluffy kind that’s about 3 inches deep. None of that slushy crap that gets all over my pants…
Time to see family and friends and celebrate! Because even though this time of year gets particularly hectic, there is always time to see loved ones and celebrate all the happenings of the season.
Ugly sweaters. And vests.
Vacation days from work to spend time shopping, baking, and being with loved ones. Or, an actual vacation to get away from it all! Last year the Husband and I spent our holidays on our honeymoon in Tanzania and Istanbul.
White holiday lights adorning the houses in our neighborhood.
Xtended family time at Christmas/holiday parties. We don’t have the chance to see our extended families all together very often, so that’s definitely a perk of the holiday season.
Yuletide. (I think this encompasses the whole season? I mean, I like the word, and really, I couldn’t come up with another ‘y’ word. Ideas?!)
Zoo lights. In Chicago we have some great displays at the zoos around this time of year. Who knew that the winter was one of the best time to visit a zoo?!
____________________
What are your favorite parts of the holiday season?! Can you come up with a holiday-related ‘Y’ word?
Cheers to the holiday season and all of the happiness it brings!
