Christmas 2015 — the Haul, the Party, the Post!

My favorite present this year was, technically, a gift to myself: a complete set of the Penguin Little Black Classics collection!

I hardly know where to begin — first of all, a belated Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you all had a happy holiday season, ate lots of sugary deliciousness, and got something you really, really wanted. (And more importantly, spent lots of time with people who mean something to you, and that you gave someone something that made them very happy.)

The Christmas Party

We had a fairly low-key Christmas, all things considered. My mom and I threw a party on Christmas Day, with my sister, grandparents, and aunt all in attendance. (Technically, I guess, my dad was a host, too, but he basically just sat outside with my sister’s puppy the whole day.)

I want to share some of the amazing food we had, because it all turned out EXACTLY the way I’d imagined it. (And I had been planning this party and this spread alllllll month. Gotta do something while you’re in bed, recovering from wisdom teeth yankage.)

Happy Holidays :)

Finished the Christmas decorating today! Lights are draped along our fence out front, a glittery wreath has been hung from our door, our tree is overloaded with trimmings, the packages are … mostly bought and wrapped. (The Holiday Gift Giving Guide is posted.) (Blatant plug.) I assembled that electric fireplace today, by the way — a fact I will be reminding anyone who visits. (The painting has since been centered, btw.)

Christmas really snuck up on me this year. I mean, I was super excited and ready for it around … mid-November. But coming into December, other than the decorating, I’ve kind of lost that giddy squirm to my stomach, part-nostalgia, part-presents. It’s probably because here in Florida, we’ve been having 80+ degree days — It’s hard to feel the holiday spirit when there isn’t so much as a nip in the air. I keep waiting for it to drop into the 30s to indicate that hey, it’s Christmastime! but … it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Say it with me now: Thanks, global warming!