Its the most wonderful time of the year....

In my family, we always wait until after thanksgiving before really even thinking or considering Christmas. It has nothing to do with the fact that we don't love Christmas- Its more that we just have way to much to be thankful for to skip Thanksgiving.... Plus fall is such a fun time of the year. (Ummm... YEAH... FOOTBALL!!)

BUT... once we have enjoyed a wonderful thanksgiving surrounded by the friends and family we are so thankful for, I quickly starting thinking about Christmas. I always wake up the Friday morning after Thanksgiving when everyone else is out shopping thinking about getting the Christmas decorations out and enjoying the traditions that make the Christmas season so special!

I LOVE the holiday season. I love the decorations. I love the friends. I love the family time. I love the parties and the food. Plus the fun songs and hymns that really remind us what the season is all about make me happy all day long! All around, it is such a wonderful time to just live up life and soak up the amazing parts of the holiday.

One of my traditions that I started when I went to college was always sending out Christmas cards. Some times they are artsy and fun. Other times they are reminders of Christ's birth and the true meaning of the season. Sometimes they are just cards and other times I include pictures. This year I was SOOOO excited when I saw Shutterfly was doing a big free give away- 50 free holiday cards just for blogging about it! How awesome is that!?! You can get more information here if you are interested!

I have been debating about what kind of card I want to send. I think I want to send photo cards this year but keep going back to my traditional folded cards. When I went here and looked, I was totally amazed and cant decide which one I like the most. They are all so great!!! And we all know I am terrible at making decisions!!! I should probably go through my pictures and see how many I think I want to include... I am not sure if I want just one or a couple. Here are a few that I really liked... but since i still have not decided which one I am using, who knows you might find one in your mailbox!!

I love this one... a mix of classic fonts with a little fun, modern design!

The candy cane detail and the fun colors make me smile. Its so cute and fun!

I love the retro details of this one. Kinda fun!

I also then got some fun ideas for calendars. I was going to print some of my own at home, but these are just to awesome to pass up. I think I will be making one for myself!! (Yes... I know I should be thinking about gifts for others... but I need a calendar to keep these crazy school things organized!)

So... also... I did not realize Shutterfly does invitations. These are SO cute and so much fun!! I want to throw a party just because the invitations are so awesome!!

I am such a sucker for paper products!! Now if I were only better at making decisions and could decide on a Christmas card!

Christmas Lovin......

So I saw this on one of the blogs I frequent... so I decided to do it here!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper (unless it is a weird shaped gift, then MAYBE a bag... but only maybe) I like to wrap presents so that they are so beautiful people don't want to even open them!!!
2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL... the fatter the better and must must must be real!
3. When do you put up the tree? no set day... just depends. Sometimes right after thanksgiving some times only a week or 2 before Christmas. Just depends.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Eve-ish
5. Do you like eggnog? Love it! Especially Egg Nog Milkshakes!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably baby dolls.... one year I asked for anatomically correct twins (a boy and a girl) I still have them for my kids one day. And a few years later I asked for the boy twin to match the girl twin I had gotten for my birthday that year. Still have those twins too..... I had a thing for twins!!!
8. Easiest person to buy for? My niece... she is only 7 weeks old, so I can buy her the cutest little outfits!!!
9. Do You have a nativity scene? Yes, several. One from my childhood, and then 2 that Brad brought us back from Ecuador.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail...
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? probably when I was about 15 years old... no I was a sophomore in college and my dad's mom got me this little 6" long baby doll...... weird. I was in college and had long since stopped playing with baby dolls, but she said it reminder her of me. So I smiled and politely said thank you for thinking of me. I think my mom probably gave it away to goodwill or something....
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? usually a last minute shopper for the most part.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? not that I can remember... but I have nothing against it. One man's trash is another man's treasure.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas Cookies
16. Lights on the tree? Lots and I prefer classic white lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "O Holy Night"
18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Depends... some years we stay home and some years we go out to Washington to spend Christmas with my mom's family!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes... but I would have to sing the song to do it!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Usually a star but this year a bow... my mom did it because the star that we usually use is mine and therefore at my house. I forgot to bring it home. so. bow it is...
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas MORNING!!! and we have strict traditions.... we come down stairs and open our stockings in the living room. We go around the room, one at a time. Then we eat breakfast and then we open the presents under the tree. Again, going around the room one at a time. We savor the moment and enjoy seeing what everyone gets!!! Plus it makes Christmas last close to all day!!!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Rude people and people forgetting the REAL reason for the season! It is not about Christmas presents or Santa. It is about the birth of our Savior!! Jesus's birth is what we celebrate!!! not Santa.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My tree at my house is red, green, white/silver but my parents tree, which is also sort of my tree in that I help decorate it every year and I have some sort of emotional attachment to the idea of the Christmas tree at their house and a deep emotional attachment to the ornaments, it is just all glass ornaments with sparkles of red..... I will post picture of it all soon!!!
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Beef Wellington
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I asked for mostly stuff I need, but because of my pea-sized budget as a student I cant afford.... make up (i am almost out of concealer and foundation), shoes, a bra, thumb drive.... nothing too exciting. Just stuff I can actually use and need!!!

Enough for now. I am heading to bed!!!