here comes santa claus

It's no secret that I love this time of year. Love it. I never could understand why the holiday season always stressed my mom out (she's since made a resolution to enjoy it) because I have always been in love with it. Maybe I'll feel differently when we have kids and it's more travel/wrap/cook/rush than cider/movies/fires/flannel. But until then, I love it.

So today, when it's gray and cold and the gas logs are turned on and there's a puppy sleeping by my side, I've started my list. The obligatory "Things I Want to Do This Season" list. And it goes a little something like this:

• Bake A LOT of apple pies. Maybe even "invest" in one of these fancies from Williams-Sonoma.
• Make as many handmade gifts as possible for Christmas
• Host my very first Thanksgiving dinner. And pray that it's good.
• Go to the Lighting of the Christmas Tree ceremony downtown
• Go to the Christmas Parade of Boats downtown (a bunch of boats get decked out in Christmas lights and drive by the battery)
• Go to the Christmas parade downtown, which I'm sure includes bigger floats than the parade in Youngsville. No offense, precious hometown.
• Go to NYC (yessssss) and watch the following movies in preparation: Home Alone, Elf, and Miracle on 34th St.
• Watch these other movies, just in the spirit of Christmas: Christmas Vacation, Polar Express, Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Claymation (duh), Love Actually and It's a Wonderful Life. Ambitious? Yes. Have we done it every year that we've been married? Yep.
• Drink lots and lots of mulled cider.

And because this is the first year that I've had a) the money and b) the time and c) the space to craft, I have a ton of ideas just waiting to be brought to life. They include, but are not limited to:

• Thanksgiving table runner
• Thanksgiving table setting: centerpiece, napkin rings, etc
• An ornament wreath
• A Christmas tie blanket
• Christmas pillows
• Christmas table setting
• Stockings. We made some when we first got married but they're primitive and teeny. And now that I know how to sew, I want to do it right. Don't worry, I have big plans for the originals.
• DIY Christmas Cards
• Aaaaand lots of other fun things :)

So that's where I am right now. Daydreaming about the holidays and pulling out the red and green ribbon. Again I say, I love this time of year.