My favorite time of year...

Every year there comes that moment in mid-November. It is the moment I cherish for the rest of the year, and the moment that I forget how much I hate the cold of winter. What is that EXACT moment?

The moment I realize that THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE.

Now, I am the kind of person who tries to live with a heart full of joy, and likes to find joy and pleasure in the simple things of life, because after all, this life is a gift, and why not experience the joys in the tiny things we are given each day? But when the holidays come around, for me at least, it is like that seeking of joy - but on steroids. I am not sure what it is about the holidays, but for the first time all year, it's not about me!

The holidays are a time for love, and for family. People are kinder, people give more, and there is constantly exchanges of love happening around us. For me the thought of Aunt Eileen's Christmas Eve party, and our yearly "cousin's picture with Uncle Mike" (yes, we are still able to fit all 25 of us in the picture!), the acts of service (churchs, companies, families and friends making shoeboxes, buying gifts for tags off a tree, serving dinner on Turkey day), and the fact that yes, the 5 hour drive to Philly in all the traffic WILL be worth it when I get to give my sister and brother a big hug and kiss in my Santa hat and cable knit sweater, is just so beautiful. The funny thing is that the week before Christmas I stop thinking about my crazy aunt that is going to cause the drama at the holiday dinner, and I start thinking about how excited I am to sit with my mom on Christmas and sip a Pomegranate Martini with her. I start thinking about the gift exchanges, and the hugs, and how much has Jeffery grown since I last saw him?

Obviously, anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of ADD so my random thoughts here should not come as a surprise, but really and truely, I love Christmas. And I am not going to lie, I don't celebrate Christ nearly as much as I should during the Christmas season, but I think that is ok with God. I think that this holiday season is a gift to us to remember that we have so much love in our hearts for our family and friends, and that He speaks sometimes most clearly through the love we see and show to other people.

Anyway, all of these thoughts came out today. I was sitting here at work, and realized, HEY! TURKEY DAY IS NEXT WEEK! First I thought wow, I have another race to run after Thanksgiving, hope I'm up for it, and then I realized. Holy Smokes! Next week! THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! Immediately I pulled down my bookmarks and pulled out for the first time in 2009 the Christmas Station on Pandora. Then I just was filled and a tiny bit overwhelemed by how excited I am for the holidays this year, and about all the important people that I love and am excited to share the holidays with. And maybe the holiday season will be a bit more joy than I anticipated as I hope for a recent romantic interest to come to pass. But hey, we will see what happens, right?

I am so excited for: the Christmas Party at Ladyshire, Ice Skating, Watching a Christmas Tree get lit up, Decorating (already done!), Baking, Watching Christmas movies, Shopping and waiting in INCREDIBLE lines, Christmas Cards, Gift exchanges, Advent candles, PLENTY of Christmas music, Walking around with someone and looking at Christmas lights (my favorite thing to do!), Spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in PA, Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks, Wearing sweaters with Jeans, and Sharing my first Christmas with my pup!

Ahhh! My heart is happy :-)