Seven Simple Christmas Joys

 

So, I'm usually one of those people who can't stand hearing Christmas music or seeing Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving and after December 25th, not because I don't love Christmas, but I guess because I want it to be special! I don't know what it is this year, but I'm sooo excited for Christmas, that I've completely skipped Thanksgiving in my mind! Perhaps it's because I'm due any day now and figure I won't get to enjoy Thanksgiving, so I should just look forward to Christmas (when my baby will for sure not be in my tummy anymore!). At any rate, here are a few things that have made me incredibly excited for Christmas and feel warm and fuzzy inside...

1. It all started a week or two ago when Dan bought some generic Target brand hand soap for our bathroom (which I'm not normally too thrilled about)...scent: Frosted Pine!!!! It is so scrumptious that I honestly wash my hands twice each time I use the bathroom so I can inhale the wonderful smell of Christmas tree one more time before leaving the room. It's a good thing I'm pregnant and have to (get to) pee every 15 minutes!

2. Christmas music! Yes, I've already created a Christmas playlist on www.grooveshark.com (a website for streaming music) and listened for hours. My favorite is still Russ Taff's "A Christmas Song" album because it reminds me of Christmases growing up.

3. My "winter pine" scented candle. Since it's once again a generic version (either Target or Walmart), I have to keep my face over it to smell it, but boy is it Christmas in a whiff. (Dan always makes fun of the way I smell my candles...but you have to waft it with your hand so you don't burn your nose hairs! At least that's what they always taught us in Chemistry class with the bunsen burners...anyone with me?)

4. My new "Home for Christmas" Yankee candle Dan bought me tonight! Hooray! Now I don't have to burn my nose hairs to try to smell it! This purchase was actually categorized under "labor" since I figure the smell of Christmas makes me so relaxed and happy it can't hurt to use it during labor, right?

5. Andes Mints. Best. Candy. Ever. Actually, I like to think of it as a breath mint instead of candy because then you can eat as many as you want and you aren't technically eating an amazing chocolatey, minty, sugary, not-good-for-you treat each time you grab one...or ten. (Second to Andes Mints are Mint M&Ms!)

6. Christmas movies like The Christmas Story (Dan hates it so I don't get to watch it with him), Christmas Vacation, and ELF.

7. Hot chocolate or other holiday drinks like eggnog, peppermint mochas, etc. These pair nicely with any of the numbers above to create a wonderful Christmas mood.

I have to be honest. I am not a big fan of winter (especially Minnesota winter) because of the cold. However, the seven things above make it bearable for me. Once Christmas is over, I'm pretty much ready for winter to be over. This year, though, I'm planning on cuddling up with my little baby inside and maybe hibernating until it's above 40 degrees. Feel free to come visit us! :)

*Apologies to Jill, Kristen, and Beth who are out of the running for baby's birthday...I even walked around the Mall of America tonight in the madness of Christmas shopping mobs to try to get things moving along!