Hello December

Wow, and just like that, it’s December, month of all the holiday cheer, sparkling lights, candles, baking and coziness, and the last month of the year. I am thrilled and terrified at the same time. December is always a bit bitter-sweet, isn’t it?

On one hand, I really enjoy and embrace the holidays, but on the other hand, another year is coming to an end and that always leaves me with all kinds of reflective thoughts and feelings and a little bit of anxiety of what lies ahead. I am not sure why people (aka me) always have to THINK so much.

 

Things I am looking forward to this month:

★ Getting my holiday cards sent out. Sending out Christmas cards might be my most favorite thing about the holidays. I love sending a sweet note to people at the end of the year and I love getting snail mail. I love the process of and look forward to it all year.

★ Sending out some gifts. I always think that I’d like to celebrate Christmas without the gift-giving, but then again, I really like to buy small gifts for people for the holidays.  It doesn’t have to be anything big or expensive, just a small little gesture of appreciation. 

★ Baking some Christmas cookies. It’s part of the holiday season for me and everyone deserves some damn Christmas cookies if you ask me. If you need some cookie inspiration, you should look at my last post.

★ Decorate our tree. We only have a small (fake) tree, but I’ve come to love it.  It might be my favorite holiday decoration. 

★ Making some donations for a good cause. I always try to do this every year and I do have money set aside in my budget for this. It’s a small gesture with a huge impact on the less fortunate.

★ Watch Christmas movies. I am a total sucker for family drama Christmas movies and I have a bunch of must-watch movies that I watch every year. There is a relatively new one (from 2015) that I haven’t seen – “Love the Coopers” with Diane Keaton and John Goodman that I am looking forward to watching this year!

★ Stroll around the neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights +  decorations. It’s always so much fun! Do you decorate your house?

 

Things I am not-so-much looking forward to this month:

★ How fast this month, no doubt, will be over. Good times always fly by way too fast.

★  Not spending Christmas with my family. I hate not being around my niece and nephew on Christmas Eve. Kids just appreciate Christmas in a whole different way and not being with my family makes Christmas feels a little less like Christmas, but we’re trying to make it as cozy as possible around here and will also see some friends for the holidays.

★  Not visiting the Christmas markets with family and friends. Walking around in freezing temperatures, hopefully on a thin blanket of snow, and then gathering around a Glühwein stand while our fingers and toes are slowly revived by one (or multiple) steamy, hot beverage(s), I mean, THAT really is what Christmas is all about, am I right?

What’s on your ‘to-do’ (and ‘to-enjoy’!) list the next two weeks?

I also survived NaBloPoMo (which is surprising and not surprising, considering that I’ve been doing it for so many years). If you followed along every single day, kudos to you for sticking by me. Here’s a little recap of what was going on in my world this month, if you missed a couple of my posts and would like to check them out.

1: Hello November. It’s NaBloPoMo. 
2: Thinking Out Loud #10
3: Five things you might not know about me
4: What I read in October
5: Recipe | Thai Salad with Coconut-Curry Dressing
6: Zion National Park | Emerald Pools and Canyon Overlook Trail
7: What I bought at Trader Joe’s – Vol. 6
8: A Day in the Life
9: Thinking Out Loud #11
10: Expat/Immigrant Q&A’s
11: Letters to the universe
12: Recipe | One pan gnocchi with Italian turkey sausage and kale
13: Zion National Park | Angel’s Landing
14: TotR | Runner’s gift list
15: November Link Love
16: Secret Santa Mug Swap 2017
17: Five reasons to be thankful for running
18: Shows I am currently watching
19: Recipe | Light and creamy turkey-tortellini soup
20: Things you wouldn’t know: More German Idioms
21: Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
22: Currently | November
23: Things I am {thankful for} Thursdays
24: Friday Five | Runfessions Thanksgiving Style
25: Pet peeves
26: Recipe | Turkey Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl
27: Our Thanksgiving
28: Christmas Card Roll Call
29: November Favorites
30: 2017 Holiday Cookie Swap

Don’t forget to sign up for my holiday card exchange if you haven’t already!!

  1. Great job on blogging every day last month! That’s awesome. I’m sorry you won’t be around family for Christmas, but it’s good you’ll see friends. I hope you still have a great time. This time of year is equally happy and depressing for me, so I get what you mean. Let’s hope we have MORE fun than not.

    -Lauren

    1. Yes, the holidays can be equally happy and depressing. I am sorry that is the same way for you, but let’s hope we have MORE fun that not. I agree :)

  2. I’m glad I finally found your blog (I always read your comments on mine but whenever I clicked on your name, I couldn’t see if you had a blog or not) and I’m glad I found you a month that you were posting every day! How often do you normally post?

    1. Oh, I am glad you found my blog too… it’s weird that you couldn’t see if I had a blog or not, as I often had to use the “name and html” entry when commenting on your blog (if I comment at work, my work computer doesn’t allow me to use the “google” sign-in for blogger). Anyway, I am glad you figured out where my blog is :)

      I usually aim for 3-4 posts a week, doesn’t always work out though ;)

  3. Looks like you have a fun December ahead of you. Blogging every day — WOW! Kuddos to you!

  4. Damn idk if I could keep up with blogging every day for a month,that is quite the challenge but good for you for doing it, so cool! Thanks for telling us about this love the coopers movie, never heard of it and my mom and I are HUGE diane keaton fans! (used to re watch baby boom over and over again) I will definitely put it on the list this year. Happy holidays!

    1. I love Diane Keaton too! I am always looking for new Christmas movies with a great cast!

  5. I’m working on getting my holiday cards sent out this week, too! It seems like you’ve been super productive. I’m jealous! :)

    1. Good for you for getting on the holiday cards… how many do you send?

  6. December is such a fun month! Christmas movies and baking are two things I look forward to :)

    1. Yes and yes! December is a lovely month ;)

  7. You’ve got some great goals this month. I think we all have a few things on our list that we aren’t looking forward to, but I like that you put them in your post anyway. Also, love the idea of putting your to-do list on here!

    1. I know the holidays can be bitter-sweet for a lot of people (as they are for me), but I do try to focus on the good things :)

  8. I really miss a Christmas Market visit with some Gluehwein…. And of course it would be nice to celebrate with the family…..
    I’m looking forward to our remodeling being done – even though we just started it (LOL).

  9. No one does Christmas markets like Germany does! I am so glad I got to experience them when I visited Berlin and Munich back in 2005! They were phenomenal! I can totally understand why December is a tough month for you since you are away from family and the traditions you are used to doing with them!

    I love December as it’s such a celebratory month, but I also get overwhelmed with everything in my calendar. The week of Christmas is pretty quiet for us, though, so I am glad that it’s not hectic straight up until Christmas. Now that we take turns spending the holiday with each side of our family, it’s always an adjustment to not be with my family. But I know that’s part of being coupled and the way it has to be since our parents don’t live close enough to see both sides at Christmas.

    In December, I’m looking forward to hosting my college friends and their kids for a cookie decorating night, my quiet Christmas celebration with Phil (I’m going to make some yummy Indian food and we’ll bake GF peanut butter blossoms) and hitting the 3rd trimester next week!!

  10. I’ve been trying to blog twice a week and that is hard enough – every day is really impressive!!

    This weekend I turned on the Hallmark channel and watched holiday movies while I decorated my tree. It was lovely. I needed some Christmas cookies to complete the experience!

  11. I feel like this year went by so insanely quickly and I know it will be January before I have time to adjust to it. I have, in the past month or so, written 2016 on things and now I’m going to have to remember to write 2018, and TIME, it’s crazy.

  12. Annnnnd just like that, it’s mid-December. Good grief, where has this year gone?!

    You did SO, SO well for the NaBloPoMo challenge, far better than I.. Matter of fact, you inspired me to keep going and not just throw in the towel, so thank you for that.

    As soon as my cards come (I’m late, but it’s the thought that counts, right?!), yours will be in the mail.. :)

    I hope December slows just ever so slightly so we can all enjoy it just A WEE BIT MORE.

    I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST FOR 2018. :) XOX

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