It's the Happiest Season!

Whenever the weather gets cold and the nights grow long, I find myself wanting to fight it. I lament that by the time I finish work, twilight is approaching within the next half hour, limiting outdoor hikes and any access to vitamin D. 

I've talked a good bit about hygge on this blog, and this post will be added to the list. I read a book that talked about hygge and welcoming a slower season by embracing the darkness and the time indoors as a way to reinvent ourselves-- so that when the spring thaws and life is made new, we too may emerge anew. 

Our home is currently adorned with twinkle lights on any surface available-- wrapped with garland around every railing and on our mantle, our deck, and our front door. We have candles along the fireplace, pops of red, swags of garland over the windows in the bedroom, and a soft glow all around. I am trying to truly prepare myself in every way to hunker down for the long winter. 

One of my favorite things to do, especially at this time of year, is watch Christmas movies. My sister Elizabeth and I laughingly exchanged screenshots of the lists in our phone, filled with every Christmas movie we've seen and loved. Shells and I have been watching them cozied up by the tree in front of the fire or using a projector on the ceiling in our room (we got this projector a few months ago and were using it to screen movies on the fence in the backyard). 

Although my phone list is twice this long, I have assembled 15 must-watch Christmas movies (along with commentary).  

1) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (This is Shelley's favorite-- both the old cartoon and new cartoon versions, but we do not mention the unspeakable live action one.)

2) Christmas Vacation (My family, like most, quote this annually ("I don't KNOW Margot!"))

3) Home Alone & Home Alone Lost in New York (Okay, technically two, but both worthy of The List. Home Alone ties for first place as my favorite Christmas movie ever. Elizabeth, Paige, and I know the entire movie by heart, and spent much of my high school years trying to rewrite a new script for "Angels with Filthy Souls".)

4) It's a Wonderful Life (The other spot in my tied-for-favorite Christmas movie. Christmastime is not officially here for me until I've entered Bedford Falls, and I watch it every Christmas Eve.)

5) A Christmas Story (A classic, and while not my favorite on this list, still a must watch.)

6) A Christmas Carol (Shelley's favorite version is the Jim Carrey/Disney version. We used to go annually to see this and The Nutcracker downtown, and that version is my favorite!)

7) The Nativity Story (A lovely retelling of the birth of Jesus, and the ending makes me cry every single time because it is so pure and wholesome and beautiful.)

8) The Family Man (This is almost a delightfully odd, modern twist on It's a Wonderful Life. It has Nicolas Cage, which will be a deciding factor for most people either way.) 

9) The Santa Clause (Oh, how I wish this were real. Side note: the sleigh's cocoa/chocolate chip cookie dispenser belongs in my car, Arlandria. Why have they not done this yet? Screw bluetooth, I want a hot beverage dispenser!)

10) A Charlie Brown Christmas (Any time it snows, the soundtrack from this special plays in my head. I also love that it focuses on the true meaning of Christmas.) 

11) Happiest Season (A new Hulu movie-- Shells & I watched it the day it came out. Cheesy Christmas hijinks, Kristen Stewart, Pittsburgh, an LGBT love story that isn't abysmal or depressing, and queens from RuPaul's Drag Race singing "Must Be Santa"-- these are a few of my favorite things...)

12) The Holiday (This is adorable and charming and makes me want to spend Christmas in a cottage in the UK.)

13) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (If you're going to watch a claymation special, this one should be it-- even though Santa is kind of a jerk, if this version is to be believed.)

14) Frosty the Snowman (Who doesn't love Frosty? If only we had a white Christmas... Do kids even have enough snow to build snowmen nowadays?!)

15) Miracle on 34th Street (Preferably the one from 1994 because Mara Wilson is a gem and it's the version Elizabeth and I watched on tape, so, nostalgia.) 

If you are looking for a good cocoa or wassail recipe, see my post from last year here-- it's the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas movie marathon! Hope you're all staying safe and cozy during this happiest of seasons! 

Shopping Small with a Cup of Cheer

I've been doing a lot of reflecting this season... well, this year, actually. I've learned a few things about myself (I still generally despise working out but like biking; I tend to consume news either in vast quantities or not at all) and then Shelley and I have made some decisions as a couple (we want to travel more when we finally can; and thank God in heaven that we are pretty madly in love considering we've been cooped up in our home together essentially nonstop for the time it takes to develop a full-term baby). 

I make little lists in my phone of things I miss-- mostly people, or the occasional experience. I am excited to eat at Altius again, and to go to the beach, for example. All of this is a roundabout way of saying that what I really miss are the moments in life with the people with whom I choose to spend my time. 

This year, then, I can't give my usual Christmas gifts. I tend to go for experiences or things people will find practical and useful in their day to day, with a bit of a luxurious gift added in for good measure. This is last year's gift guide, in case you are curious. 

Since we missed Thanksgiving, and I honestly can't imagine what Christmas is going to be like, I have decided to shop small this year. I generally try to do small business shopping anyway, but I mean shopping small-scale. The perspective I've garnered whilst at a distance has shown me that what truly matters is the time spent with the people you love, and that is not something that I can wrap up in brown paper and string or accent with baked orange slices and pine cones, regardless of how soothing I find that whole activity. I acknowledge, dear readers, that that is very cheesy of me to say, but I will presume you all feel the same way after yesterday's socially distanced holiday. 

I cannot justify trying to come up with gifts people may like while they can't do the things that they normally would, and I refuse to stress over it. I can't get Shelley concert tickets because there are no concerts. I can't take my mum to the symphony because there is no symphony. I am going to get things that are both useful in their daily lives but also elegantly luxurious, because we all need to be able to luxuriate in something these days. 

Today, I browsed some of my favorite small shops and curated a list of things to get my nearest and dearest, and while it may not arrive as quickly as with Amazon Prime, I found joy in knowing I would be supporting someone who may be struggling and also bringing merriment to people I love. 

1) Not Perfect Linen

2) Headbands of Hope 

3) Gorjana

4) Clad & Cloth 

5) The Giving Keys 

6) literally any Etsy shop 

7) any small bookseller 

8) Honey Lake Boutique

9) Chalk Full of Love 

10) Indie & Harper 

vin chaude

While I was doing my online shopping, Shelley and I made vin chaude (inspired by the latest book I read, We Met in December (delightfully Christmassy)) to sip while shopping. In case you are interested, here is the recipe we cobbled together from a few we found:

2 bottles of red wine (we used Yellow Tail Jammy Red Roo)

1 cup of brandy

6 cinnamon sticks 

10 whole cloves 

1 teaspoon anise extract 

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 

1/2 cup of fresh cranberries 

1/2 orange, thinly sliced 

Just put it in the crock pot on high for about ten minutes and then turn it down to warm. We let it sit for about three hours. Cheers! Happy small shopping!

It's About Time

 This title does not actually apply to those of you who may've wondered if I abandoned my blog altogether. 

I am referring to the most wonderful time of the year. I know, I know-- I generally try to wait until the day after Thanksgiving too. On a normal year, while everyone else is out getting trampled for doorbuster sales, I have always been at home, listening to the iconic string music ushering in Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" and hanging ornaments that tell the story of my life, year by year, on a tree we just cut down. We have what my family has affectionately referred to as "Part Two" with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and the cranberry sauce that maintains the shape of the can (this is absolutely essential). 

This is not a normal year, though, as anyone who exists on this planet would tell you. As such, I am ready for a bit of cheer. Not only have I had sort of a weird month personally (go to the dermatologist, seriously, even if you think you don't need to), but also this year has been bizarre. 

The traditions we like to observe year by year have been skewed, thrown off course by something that is invisible to us, apart from very real, very visible effects. 

 I wait all year for fall, and in a way I feel like this pandemic forced me to fully appreciate the autumnal beauty in a way I haven't before, because I spent so much more time outside at state parks. 

On any other year, I would see Christmas decor in stores in September as something of a sacrelige-- allow each holiday its due. This year, however, I left an eye appointment, and in my eye-diluted-blown-out pupils-state, Shelley and I went to At Home, and I ended up leaving with an angel ornament, a Victorian wagon ornament, tiny tree bulbs, two small trees, a sequined deer, and a glittery gold deer. It is worth mentioning each of these were layered with glitter, which is something I typically veer from. Perhaps it was the only thing that caught my blurred vision. Perhaps it's because in the midst of all this crap, I wanted a little sparkle. Either way, I found myself paying and walking out into brilliant September sunshine with two bags of Christmas decor-- most unusual. 

I managed to make it to this week, but nonetheless, we carted the decorations up from the basement and there is garland on my mantle, stockings on the hearth, and mistletoe hanging in the doorway. As soon as a Christmas tree farm opens in a 30 mile radius, I will be there, Goldilocks-ing my way through each tree until I find one that borders between Griswold and "needing a little love", and I will enjoy the season of light and love at the end of this bizarre, sometimes horrible, always hopeful 2020. 

O Christmas Tree

Allison's Christmas Trees 

I've had this dream for a while now of going out to a Christmas tree farm and cutting down our own tree. My family used to get our trees from the VFD up the street until they stopped selling trees, and then we moved on to Home Depot.

The perfect tree! 

We always had a pleasant experience doing so, but there was something about the idea of truly selecting my own that appealed to me. And yes, I always opt for a real Christmas tree even though they're-- to quote Julia Louis Dreyfus in Christmas Vacation-- messy and corny and cliche. I will never get the dreaded fake tree.




I was driving one day and passed a sign for a place called Allison's Tree Farm. After some research, I decided their prices were comparable and so Shelley and I went to check it out. It was adorable-- as soon as we pulled in, we were greeted by the staff.

Shells cutting the tree 

the shop

They have two options: choose a tree from their pre-cut selection in a lot near the shop or go choose your own and cut it down. They provided us with a saw and a map of which trees are where and sent us to trudge through the rows and rows of pines.

When searching for a tree, my criteria is to get it as close to the tree from the Eat & Park commercial as possible, so that's what we did. All the way down and back, scoping for bald spots or soft needles, standing beside it as a height check.

Finally, I saw one and zoomed in on it like a light was shining, spotlight style. As I'm walking towards it, Shelley pointed out from ahead of me, "What about that one?" and indicated the same tree. It was unanimous. We (read: Shelley) sawed it down and we carried it back to the little shop, where it was shaken, wrapped, and attached to our car.



When we went inside to pay, we perused the ornaments and fresh wreaths for sale. They have tables set up and sell hot cocoa in little paper cups as well. I also learned that for every tree someone cuts down, they plant three more. I am never less of an environmentalist than during Christmas, where I have lights up everywhere and cut a living tree to put in my living room until it dies. Knowing that three were planted in its place assuaged that a bit.

Just grab a tripod and some lights and go!

If you're like me, you put your tree up on Black Friday instead of shopping. If you aren't, maybe you're one of those people who wait until Christmas Eve to do it, or you are just super busy and haven't gotten around to it yet. Either way, I highly recommend stopping over to check it out. Side note: it's also a prime Christmas card photo location.

Zorro's favorite spot

Zorro loves the tree too. We've had a pretty difficult time keeping him away from it (and any attempts to do so have been met with as much sass as a silent ball of fluff could muster). Instead, we just allow him to lay on the tree skirt. I don't really blame him for wanting to be close to the lights and the delightful scent of pine.