'Tis the Season

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This is our first Christmas as a married couple, and our first compromise in tradition was the tree...real or fake? I have never had a fake tree, and Nicky has never had a real tree. We decided on artificial, because it makes the most sense for apartment living. We braved the crowds of shoppers on Black Friday to purchase our first Christmas tree! Here she is in all her 6.5 ft, pre-lit glory!

Nicky believes tree toppers should lean. I think it reminds him of his favorite Christmas movie - The Grinch

Beautiful collection of ornaments

 A little fuzzy, but very exciting!

Our handmade stockings! (A wedding gift)

I love holiday place mats!

This season has been so much fun! It's exciting to start traditions with Nicky. Another thing we're trying to do this season is follow an Advent Calendar. I got the idea from my friend Jenny (who inspires me to do all things creative). In her words, the calendar is a way to celebrate Christmas by spending less, giving more, worshiping fully, and loving all. A few things on our calendar include reading the Christmas story from the Bible together, leaving a Christmas card and cookies on a few of our neighbors' doorsteps, watching a Christmas movie together, and calling a friend or relative that we haven't spoken to in a while. It's exciting to be intentional about celebrating Christ this Christmas. It sounds simple, but it's a concept that can get lost in the midst of chaos that people so often create during this time of year.

These are a few of my favorite things about Christmas:
1. Hot chocolate
2. Christmas movies (the television pretty much stays on Hallmark)
3. Christmas decor
4. Christmas musicals at local churches
5. Secret Santa in the office place
6. Wrapping presents
7. Baking
8. Time with family
9. The constant mention of Christ
10. CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!