'Tis the season.

It's December, y'all-- how did THAT happen?  It feels like I blinked my eyes and the summer fast forwarded through the fall, I ran a marathon, and now our tree is up, glitter is everywhere, the office at our apartment complex sees my face and immediately goes to the mailroom to retrieve the embarrassing number of Amazon boxes with Christmas gifts inside, and I'm packing our Christmas cards to fill out on a plane tomorrow night because THE TIME!  WHERE DID THE TIME GO!?!  I know I'm not alone, because pretty much everyone that I've come across, in blog world and the real world, has said at least once "How is it already December X?  We only have three weekends left before Christmas!  GO GO GO!"  True... this is true.  

If Thanksgiving weren't so darn late this year, I feel like I would have my game much more together.  There's usually that week between turkeys and trees where you can breathe, make all of your necessary lists, take down and pack away your fall decorations and give everything a good cleaning before bringing out the Christmas stuff, get a fresh holiday mani (or is that just me?)... just enjoy the end of one holiday before going into the next.  This year, I woke up the morning after Thanksgiving and immediately thought "It's almost December-- I'm so behind!"  I raced out of bed, pounded a green smoothie, and started cleaning the apartment while throwing pumpkins and my Harvest candles at Brian so he could pack while I pulled out the stockings and ornaments.  I felt legitimate anxiety that was only enhanced by my knowledge that we would be gone the first weekend in December and leaving for Texas on Sunday the 22nd.  That gives us one uninterrupted weekend, next weekend, and I intend to soak up every second of it AT HOME with Brian.  Everything just feels very rushed right now, and I am not a fan of feeling rushed, especially at Christmastime.  

There are few things that I love more in the world than coming home on a cold December night, putting on my most favorite snuggly comfy clothes, pouring a glass of wine, plugging in the tree lights, and cozying up on the couch with Brian by my side and a Christmas movie on the television.  It's my happy place, and I try really hard to sit and enjoy it, since we only have one month out of an entire year to soak up Christmas.  

This season is by far, without a doubt, my most favorite time of the year.  Despite all of the craziness, people act just a little bit kinder, smile just a little bit more warmly, and are in the spirit of giving, which just warms my heart.  Getting older is funny.  I'm not sure when the transition happened, but it's so much less important to me now to have stuff.  I struggle to make wish lists to give to Brian, my parents, and his parents-- I mean, sure, there are always a few things that I would love and am usually lucky enough to receive, but it just feels a lot less important these days.  I'm much more interested in giving, and helping others.  And we have the little nephew and niece now, so it's beyond fun to get to see Christmas through their eyes.  

We fly home to Texas on Sunday, the 22nd, and I'm so excited and happy to spend our engaged Christmas with my family.  Brian hasn't been home since we got engaged, so everyone is very excited to see him and congratulate us as a couple.  And all of the little things that make being home at Christmas so perfect-- those special ornaments on the tree, my mom making batches of "Trash" (supremely doctored up cereals + nuts + pretzel sticks just... heaven), doing appetizers and drinks on Christmas Eve after going to the children's Mass... all of it makes me feel just giddy inside.

After stressing away most of yesterday morning about which Little People set to order for the nephew, I ordered an Ann Voskamp book, "The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas," that guides you through the real meaning of Christmas.  I'm really hoping that taking quiet time to sit and read through it each day will bring me a little bit more peace this holiday season.  I'm so blessed and lucky with everyone and everything in my life, and I don't want to miss out on realizing that this year.

With that, I'm off to run errands.  Brian and I were asked by his sister to be our little niece's godparents, so we fly out to Baltimore tomorrow after work!  But not before I take a little time by the tree tonight.

Happy almost Friday, lovelies!