The one where my heart is full…

Merry Christmas lovelies! I hope that everyone has had the happiest of holidays.  This year, Christmas snuck up on me. Because of my crazy schedule before the holiday, I never had a chance to fully prepare for the festivities.  Despite that, this Christmas was one of the best yet.  It was beautiful in its simplicity.  My family didn’t go all out this year (we are saving up for a graduation trip!) and it was absolutely blissful.  Instead of worrying about what type of gift I was giving/receiving, I was able to focus on creating memories with those I love most.  My grandma, mama and I worked to bake all the Christmas goodies for my entire family of 16! It was exhausting, but in a good way.  It gave us time to step away from the hustle and bustle of the world and just focus on the kitchen.  My grandmother is getting older and sadly she is not able to participate as much as she used too. This makes the time that I spend with here so much more special.  It is amazing to see the way her eyes still twinkle when she thinks about Christmas activities. It was truly wonderful to get to spend the entire day with the two women that have modeled me into the woman I am.  I cannot imagine what my life would be like without them and I hope that everyone is blessed enough to have someone like that in their life. So as the holidays come to an end, I hope that everyone has the opportunity to reflect on the blessings of the past year.  It is so easy to get caught up into the business of the world, but do not forget to get caught up in the little things in life.  I hope everyone has the merriest of Christmases, whether it was spent with family or watching 24 hours of A Christmas Story.

The one where I thank my Christmas Tree…

I have always been the type of person that wants to skip Thanksgiving, for the sole reason of putting up my Christmas tree earlier. This year I have been feeling a little down around which is a rare and unwelcome feeling.  Today that feeling changed, and it was thanks to a simple little plant.  There is something about a Christmas tree that just makes you feel better.  I honestly believe that a person cannot be angry when looking at them. (someone should conduct a study) The lights and the ornaments have a way to welcoming feelings of renewal and nostalgia.  The tree represents all of the new memories that will be made this year.  The ornaments represent the feelings and traditions of days past.  It always takes me double the amount of time to place the ornaments on the tree.  This is because my mother and I sit and talk about the history of each ornament.  We talk about where it came from, who gave it to us, and why do we love it so much.  So this holiday season I am going to thank my Christmas Tree. Not because I really like foliage, but because I really like what it represents.  Christmas trees represent the best part of the best time of year, and that is something that deserves thanks.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

XOXO, Alaina