i love the holidays

i remember christmas as a child fondly. our living room had a door on it, so there was this keen level of suspense. we'd all wake up early, eat chocolate dipped donuts in the dining room (i have no idea where that tradition came from) and then race up the hallway to the living room. mom and dad would creep inside and take photos, and then we'd be allowed to open the door and see all the glittering gifts inside. we'd rush to open them all up and then play for hours afterwards.

when my parents divorced, christmas became a little different. but hanukkah then became something special. my sweetest memory is when pop-pop laid out all the gifts in the shape of a menorah on his living room floor. it was such a giddy, abundant celebration. he always hung up my silly hanukkah menorah craft, even when i got older and it wasn't so cute anymore. we miss you pop-pop.

as i entered the years of young adulthood, christmas wasn't necessarily a special holiday for me. because i'm such a paper and typology fanatic, i did always enjoy the cards and gift wrap and ribbons. but it wasn't until mr. mimi came into my life and we bought my first ever real christmas tree together from the awesome firemen in highland did christmas become a treat.

i love christmas now. i love the lights. i love trying to pick out the perfect tree, the smells of the fir in the house. i love buying new ornaments. i love having friends and family over. i absolutely hate the beginning of winter and cold weather, but the fun of christmas makes up for it.

we bought our tree this afternoon. a little shy of 8 feet, douglas fir. straight as a whistle, and not too wide on the bottom. it's a really nice shape. the front of our apartment has a bay window type of alcove, and the tree fits perfectly. it's a bright beacon of happiness from the outside. we always decorate our fireplace mantle too, with some extra branches and the heavy ornaments that don't really fit on the tree (or the special ones that need to be out of reach of kitty paws). next weekend is our holiday party, can't wait!

tree

pardon the blurry photo ... no tripod! :(