St. Nicholas Day

(A Day Late)

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When my sister and I were growing up, our stockings hanging over the mantel would be empty on Christmas morning.  This is because we celebrated the stocking portion on 12.6.  We would hang our Christmas stockings on the outside of our bedroom doors before we went to sleep on 12.5.  In the morning, we would wake up to find them filled with an apple, an orange, some sort of nuts- usually walnuts, sweets, and usually a "stocking stuffer" item.  After reading up on St. Nicholas Day, I found out that European countries celebrate this holiday differently.  It seems that our celebration most closly resembles the German holiday (makes sense, my heritage is German).  I'm happy to say that we never found coal in our stockings :)

St. Nicholas Day

12.1

Ah December.  I'm sort of relieved that NaBloPoMo is finally over.  I've realized that while I really enjoy blogging, doing it every day is a bit much for me.  I think overall, it's been a good experience, and I will be making a better effort to allotting more of my time to blog than I had been in months before this.  Hope my topics weren't too dull for everyone out there and you'll continue to follow me along :)

In other news, I can't believe we only have four weeks until Christmas.  I've developed a strong urge to bake and craft in the last few days, so you can be sure to see lots of that in next few weeks.  Our Christmas tree is up, but I still feel like we need more holiday decorations around our house.  I hate buying more stuff, so I think I will just dig through my stockpile of crafting supplies and come up with something Christmasy from them. 

Despite the busyness of this season, I'm looking forward to spending time with my loved ones and enjoying lots of yummy food (which I may regret on 1.1).  What's in store for everyone else this month? 

And Happy Hanukkah to you and yours!

12.1

Blue Christmas

This past Sunday, my father and I attended a service at church appropriately titled "Blue Christmas".  We attended last year too.  As horrible as it is to be missing someone during this season, I am comforted to know that we are not alone.  People go through this every. single. day.  And they get through it and they eventually find some sort of new happiness again.
Even though I know this Christmas will be a teeny tiny bit easier to get through than last year's was (it will be year #2 without my mama), it still feels like there's a huge gaping hole during the holiday season that I'm struggling to fill.  With what? I'm not sure.  I take comfort in the fact that our last Christmas with her was nearly perfect.  Our family did the usual:  sit around the tree while drinking coffee, play the parades on tv and mute the sound, put Christmas records (Bing Crosby anyone?) on while we opened presents, shared smiles, and allowed my mom to take pictures of us.  She loved taking pictures. 
I guess I'm just trying to figure out our new routine for the holidays.  Do we scrap everything we did before and start all over?  Come up with some new tradition to carry forth into future Christmas's?  Probably not, but it is hard trying to find a balance between new and old.  And I'm still trying to find the meaning in this season that brings so much happiness and sadness our way, all at once. 

Blue Christmas

Holiday Cards

I really want to send out holiday photo cards this year.  I wanted to send them out last year too (a good excuse to use our wedding photos).  But after the wedding, time seemed to disappear and before I knew it, the new year had arrived.  So this year, we're absolutely taking a family portrait (Oso and Kingsley included) and sending them to our loved ones.

Although I've never ordered from Shutterfly, I've heard many good things about them from people who have.  I'm in the process of organizing an anniversary photo album through their site and just need to find the time to finish it!  In addition to photo books, they do photo printing, calendars, and they have a great selection of cards.

Here are some of my holiday favorites:

I like that 10% of the sales of this card are donated to the American Lung Association.  I think it would be a great way to include pictures of us from throughout the year.

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Love the simplicity of this one:

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And I like these because they're a little more colorful and festive:

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Now I just need to decide on which one I like best!

* I will be receiving 50 free cards from Shutterfly for writing this post.  However, the thoughts and opinions posted here are my own.

Holiday Cards

Happy Holidays!

This Christmas was a little bittersweet for me.  It was X and my first Christmas as a married couple, but it also marked the first Christmas without my mom.  We skipped our usual Christmas Eve church attendance and limited the celebration to Christmas day.  We started at my dad's house with lunch, then making the family rounds in Fredericksburg, eating lots of goodies along the way, and ended a full day celebrating Christmas at my dad's house.  But, before we headed home, we made an obligatory stop in Johnson City to see the incredible light display that PEC puts up every year.

It kind of surprises me that no matter how many times we pass by this scene, it never ceases to amaze me.

Hope your holidays were filled with family, food, and just that hint of magic that makes Christmas what it is!

Happy Holidays!