This Time of the Year

I love the month of December; by far my favorite time of the year. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I remember a lot of traditions we did as a family during the holidays as I grew up and I cherish the great memories when I'm reminded of them. Now that Jody and I have our own family to start new traditions with, I can't help but want to bring in some of the traditions that I did as a child and create new memories together. Jody has told me more than once that one of the things he loves about me is my love for Christmas. He says that my excitement for the holiday not only makes him smile, but it also makes him like Christmas too.

One of the traditions I remember doing was getting the Christmas tree. We would always drive up into the mountains - usually Apple Hill - and cut our tree down. My parents even have video footage of one of our trips up where I was the one cutting down the tree while my parents stood by. It cracks me up every time I watch it. Now that it's Jody and I, it's easier to just get a pre-cut tree - usually from Home Depot - due to convenience and cost. Once Mallory is old enough to walk and understand a little bit more about the excitement of Christmas, we'll go cut our tree down. But for now the pre-cut ones work just fine. This year I wanted to try out a new place. The first lot had a horrible selection so we kept going; there was no way I was settling on our tree. Then I remembered Zittle Farm in Folsom so we gave it a shot. As soon as we got out of the car I could tell it was perfect. The trees were beautiful, very fresh, and smelled wonderful.

One tradition that I've altered is how the tree is decorated. Growing up the ornaments were ones that my mom had collected throughout the years. I love the nostalgia of it, but I can't stand when ornaments don't match. I need order and cohesion. Last year I did all green and red. This year I recycled some of those green and red but added in purple, white, and silver. Lots of shine and lots of glitter. Loving the result. And loving this time of the year!