ho ho ho

In my attempts to have a better attitude about the holiday season, this is my blog post that is full of jolly things.  I thought that was good thing to do today before I slip into a winter's coma (aka Sunday afternoon napped) that is being egged on by the 4th gray, misty day in a row. (So abnormal for Kansas. I hope it ends soon. I don't know how sun-less days I can take. It's not even that cold outside..).

Whenever I decide to embrace a holiday, food is usually involved. This month has been no different. I cannot stop making Christmas goodies. I just pulled a batch of sugar cookies out of the oven. Last weekend, I made a Nutella cherry hazelnut fudge, (which is as delicious as it sounds as well as a major baking win since I had never successfully done that before) as well as a chocolate dipped shortbread cookies for the MCC Christmas open house. We are creeping closer to Christmas, but I still have my eye on one more Christmas goodie that I hope to make soon. If all goes well, I will put them in hideous Christmas tin I got from the Et Cetera Shop and share them with family.

I am not the type of person who decorates their living quarters with seasonal decorations. I don't like tacky things and up until now, I've never had the luxury of extra storage space. This year, I didn't do very much, but I did get a fresh Christmas wreath from Stone Creek Nursery and hung it on my door. It's so lovely. (I've also constantly been lighting a pine scented candle when I've been home to really make it seem festive in here).

You might not even believe this, but I've made a "winter/Christmas" playlist on Spotify that I listen to at work. In order to not hate Christmas, I usually have to avoid most Christmas music. However, there are some selections that I do like, especially if you never hear them on the radio. I've been building this playlist for a long time, adding a song to it whenever I hear something that mentions snow or being cold (or reminds me of being cold). It makes what Christmas music I do have on that playlist way less intense. I recently found a band called Johnnyswim and have really enjoyed their Christmas album in this mix. These gray days might be so dismal, but at least it's nice to sit at my desk, listen to some nice music and sip on the Christmas blend of coffee the office got from Mojo's.

The MCC Christmas tree

I know. Look at me being festive. I even got some vintage Christmas wrapping paper from Et Cetera that  I am super excited to use this year.

Ho ho ho