One More Fun Post

I realize this week has been full of random posts, but I had so much fun reading Natasha's Monthly Musing post yesterday that I wanted to borrow it for today!

1. Share your favorite holiday traditions:

I love having traditions! I longed for them so deeply back when I was single, and I love it that Ryan is on board with participating in traditions! One of my favorites is our collection of ornaments we've gathered throughout our years together and reading the stories of them as we hang them on the tree. Another of my favorite traditions is picking out a gift together that we can share throughout the year, rather than getting a bunch of little trinket things for each other. I love watching some of our favorite Christmas movies together, picking out a tree at the tree farm, and sending Christmas cards!

2. Do you see holiday lights? Driving tour on your own? Attend a park or festival?

When we lived in Marion, we always went through Matter Park and the Walkway of Lights, which is still my favorite lights display. One year we walked through it when the weather was good, and that was my favorite year! We've also driven through a few fun light displays on some of our anniversary trips. One of my favorites was Lights Under Louisville, which was a drive-thru tour in a cave! Last year we drove around Fort Wayne and looked at some of the most-recommended houses! (Someone posted a list of residences with great displays.) I love Christmas lights, so I'll go see them anywhere I can!

3. Favorite Holiday Recipe?

I don't necessarily have a specific recipe, but one of my favorite things that makes it the holidays for me? Frosted sugar cookies. I LOVE THEM!!! I have a brand new tree-shaped cookie cutter this year and I'm excited to make some cookies! (The problem is...I want to eat them all.) 

4. Must-have fashion holiday staple?

Well it's true...I'm not super fashionable. I don't know that I have a particular staple for the holidays. I mostly just try to make sure I'm wearing something semi-festive that I didn't wear the year before! But a few years ago my mom gifted me some Christmas jammies, and I do enjoy wearing those around the holidays! Last year I wore them to the WillowBridge Christmas decorating day!

5. Any special or extra festive plans this year?

Nope! We are actually working on Christmas this year. We've never done that before. I'm not dreading it, really, but it will be weird, for sure. So I guess our special plans will be to try to make the day a good one for any tenants who might be in the building!

6. Best holiday planning tip?

If you send Christmas cards, keep a running template list of names and addresses so you can easily know how many cards you need and where to send them. A month or so before you mail them, double check addresses (people seem to move a lot) and names (births and deaths from the year) so your cards are accurate!

7. Favorite holiday movie?

Well of course, I spend most of my time on Hallmark movies, but every year we also watch Elf and Four Christmases...and Christmas Vacation. I think those are the staples!

8. Die Hard...Christmas movie or not?

Never seen it. So I asked Ryan. He said he hasn't seen it all the way through, but he'd say...not.

9. Tree decorations up before or after Thanksgiving?

Historically I waited until after Thanksgiving...until we got married in December. Now everything from Thanksgiving through the first week of December is so busy with family gatherings and anniversary celebrations that I find it works better to put them up mid-November. It allows us to enjoy them longer (which is nice, since it's a lot of work!) and it makes our December so much more enjoyable. (All photos on this post, by the way, are from previous years. This year's Christmas tour is coming next week!)

10. Do you celebrate other holidays in December? 

We don't...unless you count our anniversary! I guess that's only a holiday for us, huh? :) But it is one of my favorites!