it's that time of year!

Goodbye, hard earned cash.
Goodbye, sanity.
Goodbye, clean houses.
Goodbye, relaxation.

Hello, mistletoe!
Hello, fir trees!
Hello, tinsel!
Hello, stockings!
Hello, glitter!
Hello, family!

I am a fan of the Christmas spirit. I love Christmas music, I love Christmas trees, I love Christmas dinner.

However. I do not love Christmas shopping. In fact, I despise it. I hate rushing around like a nut job trying to track down the "perfect gift". Add in the stress of trying to get it all wrapped pretty and perfect (which, by the way, I am terrible at.) I can't tie pretty bows of ribbon, I can't make pristine edges, and my wrappings always look like they got ran over by a truck :(

This Christmas is going to be the strangest one yet. Last year was not fun, because my sister had to miss Christmas at Mom's house due to her work schedule, and everyone was hurried and grumpy. But still, this one may top the charts as the most "anti-traditional" for my family.

So, usually, the parent who didn't get us girls on Thanksgiving gets us on Christmas day, and the other parent gets us Christmas Eve. We had Turkey day with my dad's family (and a certain disrespectful stepmother), so we should be at my mom's for Christmas. That's a negative. Mom's family is renting a house in Sunriver, so we're doing Christmas after Christmas.
By this strain of logic, my sisters want to be at Dad's for Christmas Eve / Christmas morning. I do not want to step foot in the house of the wicked woman who hates me. Why would you go where you aren't wanted? So I'm going to stay at Grandma Tiny's, hopefully. Which means, no traditional stocking opening, no Christmas breakfast (which I don't like anyways, so no big loss there), no being 6 years old and waking the house up at 6 AM.

As much as I hate it, it looks like family Christmas as I knew it will never be the same again.

BUT.

I am extremely excited for my mom's Christmas. She handmade all the stockings for everyone, my crazy (in a good way) aunt will be here, along with her entire amazing family, and I get to see my stepbrother Casey (the one I still like) for the first time since I moved for college. Hurray! (Also, in the name exchange, I got my hopefully-soon-to-be-aunt, who is always super fun to shop for, and my grandma got me. Coconut Crispy Cookies, here I come!)

I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas season, and I hope you are either a) enjoying age-old family traditions or b) starting your own.

Enjoy your eggnog and pumpkin treats!