Merry Day after Day after Christmas!!

Yesterday I was thinking about how great it would be to just celebrate Christmas until New Year’s Day. I think that a bit of real life and the responsibilities therein have reared their ugly heads in protest.  And quite loudly. How rude. That’s okay because it gives me an excuse to get a king cake (or two) during Carnival – you know, to make up for the loss of my extra week of celebration. Can you tell I grew up in Louisiana? I somehow feel entitled to a week here or there of celebrating holidays that usually last one or two days for most folks.

I’m decking the halls.

It’s snowing!!! Woo hoo!!! It seems like yesterday I was celebrating Thanksgiving A month ago I had my whole menu worked out. Today, I have NO IDEA what I am cooking for Christmas. I think I will make individual favorites and keep my theme from Thanksgiving, which was making a good, simple dinner. I want my kids to remember the good parts of our traditions, not their mother being worn out by the process.

Welcome, November.

Time to put away the jack o’ lanterns and time to make way for cornucopia, Indian corn, and cranberry wreaths. I was in the store this afternoon and the turkey table has been set up. Since I want our family to participate in a turkey trot this year, I have to have my dinner completed by Wednesday so that I’m not up so late that I get up Thursday Morning and rule out said turkey trot (sort of like I did last year). I also have to dig out my Christmas cards and decide if I’m going to do a family portrait with the Christmas card, since I usually ship those out the week of Thanksgiving, too. I’m working on a few crafty gifts and if they are easy and quick to knock out, I’ll make more. If not, 2012 can always be the year of the gift card, part 2 (2011 was the year of the gift card for all of my shipped gifts and it was a wonderful thing).

My Tree is Up!

December has been such a blur. A happy blur, but a blur nonetheless. This morning as I was unpacking decorations I came across an ornament I had bought after Christmas last year (the best time to get awesome Christmas stuff, btw). It was on the cheap, but it made me so happy. It’s beautiful and will adorn our tree for years to come. I’ve been thinking about getting and/or making ornaments to signify milestones in our family’s lives. The last time I was at my parents’ house for Christmas, I saw so many ornaments that I remembered from different events and projects through the years as I was growing up. I want my kids to have that feeling too.