Monthly Musings || Christmas

Hello, y'all!!
Lora and I are so excited that it's time for another round of Monthly Musings. Last month we really enjoyed reading what y'all were thankful about. This month we're all about Christmas! Who else can't believe that it's just a week away? Um, not this gal. Denial is not just a river in Egypt! While I'm very much excited about Christmas, I'm also very much NOT ready. Last minute shopper here. I'll probably get everything else I need TOMORROW! Not exaggerating even a little bit. *Sigh* oh well, such is life.

HOWEVER. We're not here to talk about last minute shopping, are we? Nope, we're here to focus on the finer things in life!

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So, Christmas. This Christmas will be my 27th one. It will also be my 27th birthday. How bout them apples? Ha! I can honestly say that Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. Because I'm a blogger and all bloggers love lists, (right?) and mostly because I'm having trouble keeping my thoughts in line without a list that's what we're going to do to count the ways that Melissa Loves Christmas.

// Family time. Sure. I get family time with Thanksgiving, but the majority of the time my uncles retreat to the football game after the meal. OR everyone is napping somewhere. With Christmas, as soon as the big meal is done we ALL retreat to the family room for quality family time. (and presents. of course there's presents).

// Stockings. I don't know about y'all but ever since I was  a little kid my mom always made my stocking special. She still does a stocking for me and my sister even though we haven't lived in the house for years. I've carried over the tradition into my own family, and I even fill Josh's and my stockings. Because, you know, we're adults. Zander loves it. Stockings are perfect for little toy cars, candy, and of course socks. Since no one wants to get socks under the Christmas tree.

// My Kids on Christmas morning. Before having kids, I didn't really "get" the whole concept of seeing a kids' eyes light up on Christmas morning. The first year Zander really understood Christmas and grasped the concept of Santa leaving him gifts was magical to me. Seeing his face light up as he walked into the living room and realizing SANTA CAME! Oh my gosh, y'all... it's priceless and it's one of those moments that you can never really fully capture with a picture.

// Apple Pie. Sure, I can get apple pie anytime of the year, but for my birthday I get a special apple pie just for me. Not even kidding a little bit. My grandma makes a special apple pie just for my birthday. She makes the crust by hand. She peels, cuts, and cooks the apples. There's literally nothing artificial in this pie, y'all. The best part? It's my special pie. I have the option to share (or not) if I want. Lucky for me, Josh isn't a huge fan of apple pie. Everyone else in my family (on my dad's side) gets a birthday cookie cake. Clearly I'm not spoiled at all. Clearly.

// My Birthday. I've said it once, I'll say it a million times. For me having a birthday ON Christmas DOES. NOT. SUCK! I love it. I've always loved it. My family has always made a special effort to make my birthday feel like a birthday and not a birthday / Christmas combo. Sure, we always DO open Christmas gifts, but there's something special extra. My birthday has never felt like anything strange or forced. I feel like it'd be what a birthday feels like if it was in July. Except for not wearing summer clothes. It's my special day and I will rock it. I'll make sure everyone knows it, too! Except maybe in a few years when I'm in my mid 30's. HA!

My Birthday 2006; Amanda's Fave pic of me!

// Christmas Trees + Lights. I LOVE seeing all of the Christmas decor as I drive through our town. We live in a small town, and everyone tends to go all out for Christmas. It's like "go big or go home" sort of thing. I wish I had a picture to share, but I always feel strange about parking my car in someone's front yard... BUT there's one house that literally has every square inch of the front yard COVERED in Christmas inflatables. Plus their house is covered in lights. I'm not sure how long it took them to accumulate so many inflatables but it's pretty dang impressive! There's just something about the twinkling lights and the Christmas trees that really make my heart smile. I love seeing all of the decor.

What are your favorites for the holiday season? What are some of your Christmas traditions? Be sure to link up with Lora and I and share!

Monthly Musings Round 1 - November

Monthly Musings... What is that exactly you may be wondering? Well, a "musing" is a period of reflection or thought. Lora and I created this linkup as a way to sit back and think about the finer things in life that we have going on right now. Life can get stressful, and painful, and difficult at times. And sure- you don't want to hide those feelings or keep them bottled up, but Monthly Musings is not a time for those feelings. Here, we want you to reflect on what's good in your life. What do you love about this month? What's something good that happened this month? Is this your favorite month? Why? All of that and more can be answered here!

It's November! We're a week away from THANKSGIVING! Thanksgiving is definitely my second favorite holiday. (Christmas is my first, but not because of presents for me!... that's for another post though).

This month I'm looking forward to seeing family that I haven't seen in almost a year. I have an Aunt and Uncle in Wisconsin. This Aunt is the "favorite Aunt"... even though some people think you're not supposed to say it. I said it, so there. With her and my uncle living so far away, it's difficult to see them as often as we get to see everyone else. This year for Thanksgiving, they'll be flying down and staying with my mom (her sister) for a few days. I'm thankful to be able to spend some much needed time with them and to let my kids get to know them better. I'm thankful that my family is so close and that we all enjoy each others' company.

Whenever my mom's side of the family gets together for Thanksgiving, it's like a big comedy club. We all joke around with each other. There's always tons of laughing. It's just so full of light and fun and happiness. I love it. I love spending time with this family. One of my uncles always cooks the turkey and everyone else brings a side dish. (I bring green bean casserole- YUM!!) If you saw my vlog last week, then you'll remember that I promised to share the recipe. Don't worry, I don't break promises.
This year will be strange because it'll be the first big holiday without my grandma there. I'm still anxious about that. We used to always have Thanksgiving and Christmas at Grandma's tiny little apartment with everyone crammed into the living room and dining room. It was small, but we made it work.
This year we'll be at my mom's new house. I'm not as sad about Grandma not being with us as I thought I would be. I know she's smiling down on us from Heaven. I know she'll be watching the whole thing. I'm also Thankful for blogging friends like Lora. Friends that reach out to you and say "hey, let's do a link up!" I'm Thankful for friends that do actually link up with our crazy idea! haha. This year has been a crazy one, but as it draws to an end, I love looking back and seeing I have so much to be Thankful for.

This month is the start of "family" holidays to me. It warms my heart to know that in a week from tomorrow I'll be sitting around the table full of family and full of smiles. I have a lot to be thankful for this month. For starters, I have a loving husband and two beautiful children. I'm blessed to have family all over the place. After dinner at my mom's we'll be having desert on the dad's side of my family. My mother in law will be joining us at both locations.
I'm blessed to have in laws that get along so well with my families.

As it hits me that November is halfway over, and I sit back and reflect on what this month means to me, I realize more and more about how blessed I really am. And how blessed my children are to be surrounded by so much love and happiness. As my kids grow, it is becoming more and more apparent that I have so much to be thankful for. Josh and I both come from large families. Our kids are surrounded by love, and that is all I could ever ask for them.

What are you thankful for this month?

Next Month: We're musing on CHRISTMAS!!! My Favorite holiday!!

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