CHRISTMAS IS COMING

The goose is getting fat!  Please do put a penny in the old man's hat...

Oh, sorry!  I was just getting lost in the memories from my fifth grade Christmas play.  I think we had to sing that about ten million times.

Christmas is, and has always been, my favorite time of year.  Everything is just so much...muchier.  Everyone's a little happier.  The old humdrum of everyday life has been replaced by this magical, Christmas-y atmosphere.  It's like being at Disney for a month.

Everyone has little traditions at Christmas.  Here's what's in store for my countdown to Christmas:

Day 1:  Start listening to Christmas music.  Actually, scratch that.  I started listening to the Christmas station in July.
Day 2:  Prepare that Christmas wishlist!
Day 3:  Plan my holiday look book (coming soon!).
Day 4:  Solo tryouts for my choir's Christmas Concert.
Day 5:  Try out new hot chocolate flavors.  I'm thinking carmel is a definite yes...
Day 6:  Christmas decorating!  This is probably my favorite part of the holidays.  We have such a schedule to everything.  Although I hate straightening out the branches on our tree, I love putting the ornaments on!  There's a story behind each one, and it's really cool to have that time to look back over them.
Day 7:  Recover from Christmas decorating.  Also, spin around and sing Christmas songs when I wake up and see how beautiful our house looks with all of the decorations.
Day 8:  Start watching different versions of "The Nutcracker" ballet on Netflix.  I love watching them dance en pointe.  It looks so easy but it's so impossible...
Day 9:  Watch It's A Wonderful Life.
Day 10:  Start gift shopping for my lovely family, friends, dogs, etc.
Day 11:  Wish for a white Christmas.
Day 12:  Daydream about Christmas in Florida and start preparing thank-yous for my Sunshine state relatives.
Day 13:  Bake the first batch of cookies!  Such a yummy tradition.
Day 14:  Figure out that I am just as bad at gift wrapping as I was last year.
Day 15:  The Christmas Concert!
Day 16:  Listen to "Carol of the Bells" while preparing for exams...ugh.
Day 17:  Even more exams!  It makes me really miss those Christmas parties we used to have back in first grade...
Day 18:  Sing "12 Days of Christmas" until I can actually remember everything!
Day 19:  Dance around singing "Joy To The World" because it's Christmas break!
Day 20:  Last-minute candy run.  You can never have enough candy canes.
Day 21:  Watch "It's Christmas Time, Charlie Brown!" with my family.  It's an unbreakable tradition.
Day 22:  Begin the great holiday baking frenzy.  My favorite creation is coconut cake, hands down.
Day 23:  Wait, Christmas is the day after tomorrow?!  Act like I'm ice skating while in reality I'm sliding around on our wood floors in socks.
Day 24:  It's Christmas EVE!  Sit under the tree and read good 'ol Christmas stories.  Watch all the Christmas classics (Rudolph, Frosty, Little Drummer Boy, etc.), but especially Christmas Vacation. Basically all the best things about Christmas.
Day 25 (aka CHRISTMAS):  No explanation needed.

Lovely, right?  I'll be sure to share pictures of our Christmas-y house, and that look book's coming to you soon!  I might even put out some of our treasured recipes...

Any things you're doing for Christmas?

Love (a very excited),
Tori