CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!

The best thing about life is that there are so many things to look forward to. When I was little, I used to think it was silly that stores started decorating for holidays months ahead of time--now I love it!! I love the build up of excitement! I am so excited for so many things right now--I am excited to visit Chris' hometown for a week, and to have Thanksgiving with both of our families the next week in Michigan. I am excited to marry Chris December 18th. I am excited for our first Christmas together. I am excited to finish the semester. I am excited to move to Phoenix for a few months while Chris is on active duty orders. I am excited to build our little dining table together this weekend...I am excited to move in and furnish our whole apartment! I am excited to get together with friends at girls' nights, bridal showers, open houses, and receptions to celebrate and enjoy one another's company. But mostly, right now, I am just very, very, VERY excited for Christmas.

I love Christmas so much. I love listening to Christmas music. I love baking and decorating Christmas cookies with my mom and sisters. I love going adventuring through Christmas tree farms, and picking out the fullest, yummiest smelling, and biggest and bestest and awesomest tree ever!! I love taking the tree home and decorating it. I love all of the old traditions and the new ones...I loved sneaking downstairs Christmas morning to look at the tree and presents, and finding reindeer droppings (chocolate covered nuts) all over the house, and I loved writing letters to our resident elves, Holly, Soot, and Mistletoe (also known as Rachael, Mary Beth, and Ruth). I love new traditions, too--I love making ornaments. Last year Chris and I spray painted a bunch of cinnamon-scented pinecones a shiny gold, and tied them with bright green and red plaid ribbons. My mom, Mary Beth, Elise and I made citrus ornaments and popcorn strings to hang on our Dr. Seuss tree.

This Christmas is going to be very different. For the first time, I will not be waking up Christmas morning to a house full of my sisters. I will be in a little apartment in Cambridge Court, with my married-7-days-ago husband...I will have no rule that I have to wait until 7 to get up. mwahaha!!!

I am so excited to start blending the traditions of our two families together. Chris and I have talked a lot about Christmas traditions. We've agreed to try to alternate Christmas with our families...we've also agreed to open one present, (Christmas pajamas) on Christmas eve, to sleep with the Christmas quilt from my Grandmother Jere and Aunt Ann on our bed (but only after thanksgiving), to continue the reindeer droppings tradition, and to always, always, always have a live, deliciously christmassy smelling tree in our house.

On the subject of stockings, we've agreed to combine traditions (and I'm thinking of adding a few more.) My dad always put some very specific things in our stockings: assorted Lindt truffles, a bag of nuts, fruit snacks, one orange, and a small stocking present--often smart wool socks or a pepperige farm salami. Chris had a similar stocking, but with the distinction of Cracker Jacks (he is very emphatic that we keep this). I also have a few things I think would be fun to add. I really want to put a letter in. Starting out, this would just be a letter from me to Chris, or him to me. But when we have kids, it would be a letter from Chris and me to each of them individually--a letter to them about the little things they do we love, our favorite memories from that year, and how grateful we are that they are a part of our family. I think it would be cool for our kids to have a letter from every Christmas as they grew up...18 years at home. And who knows, maybe we'd continue this tradition after they left?! ...Also, I want beef jerkey in my stocking.

I AM SO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

A few days ago, I spent about 2 hours trying to guess what Chris was planning for Christmas. I have a problem with surprises...I just HAVE to know. Eventually, I convinced him to list off 10 possible presents, with the two real ones hidden among the distractors, so I could guess which ones they were. He had fantastic decoys, though, and I honestly have no idea what he is planning. I am impressed he has held out so long--I am very persuasive. But then again, he's probably learned from the time I convinced him to give me my birthday present 2 months early, and after he did, I said, "I can't believe you gave it to me."

I am so excited! I've spent the last few days looking up Christmas stockings, tree skirts, angel tree toppers, crafty christmas ornaments, and fun traditions. I've already decided to cut off part of the trunk of our tree, and write "our first christmas tree"" on it, and make it into an ornament for our future trees. I also have decided to wrap up a bunch of Christmas stories and books the month before Christams, and read them as a family that whole month...A Christmas Carol, Christmas Oranges, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Little Match Girl...and maybe a few movies, too...White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, ect.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions? Any favorite memories? What are you most excited about? Share! Share! Share!