how much did we spend $$ on Christmas?

I love the holidays and tend to be one of those people that go completely overboard. Over the top with decorating and excessive gift giving. That being said, I still have a Christmas budget that I stick to because at the end of the day, I want to enjoy the holidays and not have to stress about money. 

We normally save up for Christmas well in advance, but found ourselves cash-flowing the entire thing this year instead. I always base our budget on the year before, but somehow it keeps increasing. Ha! Here's what we spent on Christmas 2019...

they're here!

Thanks to a bit of a mix up, our holiday cards were delayed this year. I was beyond worried that these wouldn't arrive on time, but they came in just a few days ago and I rushed to get them out. We hand delivered quite a few, but all the ones we mailed arrived right on Christmas.  

I will forever be sending out holiday cards. And right now for this season of life, I especially love that we send out our cards with a real photo that represents the year, as opposed to staging and posing for a photo just for the sake of the card. 

money diaries vol 1: holiday edition

Money has always been such a taboo subject, but ironically, it is also one of the most important factors in our day to day lives. Yet, no one wants to talk about it. I love that my generation is stepping away from this faux pas and is being more honest and upfront with series like CNBC's Millennial Money and Refinery 29's Money Diaries. 

And while I've always shared our travel budgets, I'm hoping to talk money more in this space in the coming year, and I thought doing my own version of a money diary series could be a fun way to do that. With the holidays in full swing, I feel like we are definitely indulging and spending more than usual. Juggling between trying to enjoy the holidays while not jeopardizing our financial goals has been quite the balancing act, so I thought  this would be a good time to share my first money diary. Here is everything that the Husband and I spent money on last week. 

Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg

When we moved to the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area a little over a year ago, I immediately made a list of things to do and try. And a day trip to Colonial Williamsburg has been at the top of that list. The timing just never quite worked out until now, which turned out to be a good thing, because visiting during the holiday season was extra magical. Every year the city has a wreath decorating contest. And it is beyond intense. 

If you live in the area, you are required to put up a wreath for the contest and there is an entire published manual on rules and regulations for what can and cannot be used in the wreath. Basically, it has to be all natural items, similar to colonial times. A community where tasteful holiday decorations are required, is definitely my kind of place. And while, it's a little crazy to think about, it makes for the best holiday visit to tour the wreaths with all the neighbors competing for the blue ribbon and bragging rights for the year. 

holiday cards from christmas past

I know the idea of holiday cards may be an outdated one, but it's a tradition that I love. I think that it honestly comes from fond memories of helping my mother address cards every year. And once, I had my own little family, I couldn't wait to do the same. 

december 2018//

december lived up to every expectation and more to be the busiest month of the year. we crossed continents, celebrated the holidays with family, and I traveled all through and across the state during my away rotation. 

christmas by camelback

We had an unconventional Christmas this year with spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traveling into the Sahara Desert in Africa. Never did I ever imagine that I would be passing the holiday in this way. 

a special Christmas gift

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we are headed out to spend the holidays in Africa and Europe. I'm sure Africa conjured up all kinds of visions of safaris, but Africa is a unique continent with so much diversity from place to place.

friday favorites 12.20.18

Just 4 more sleeps until Christmas Day! Normally I would be totally freaking out with excitement, but mostly, I'm just sad that this season is going by way too fast. This week in particular just blew right on by. We spent the week visiting my parents and my in-laws to celebrate Christmas early, because as of today, we are traveling though Africa and Europe for the holidays! 

spreading holiday cheer

Choosing just the right moment that captured 2018 was an easy pick this year. I will forever cherish our photos from our day in the sunflower fields and now we have them in a Christmas card version too! 

an "away" rotation for the holidays

Today is the last official day of the semester! Unfortunately, these past few weeks have been just a little bit rough thanks to being on a true away rotation. 

ho ho hold onto your {santa} hats!

Hold onto your santa hats ladies and gentlemen becuase it's going to be a bumpy sleigh ride. I don't know about ya'll, but on top of being the most wonderful time of the year, December is always always always the busiest month of the year around here. As if the holiday festivities and ending yet another year (and another semester) weren't enough to contend with, I go and do crazy things to our schedule. Case in point, later this month, we are headed to AfRICA! Oh, and also visiting Europe along the way because why not? 

December Life Lately

Per usual, this month has been the craziest one of the year. With returning from our Christmas trip to Iceland, mailing off all the Christmas cards, and finishing out the trimester of dental school strong all before heading off to visit family for the holidays, it's been a whirlwind.

I feel like I've been mentally preparing for December for months, but it still caught me off guard with being busier than I expected. Lots of stressful days and sleepless nights. But there were lots of good highlights this month too that I'm excited to share. Also, had to include a few moments from the end of November because it felt wrong not to include our Christmas trip through Iceland here too. 

what we gave for Christmas 2017

This is the third year in the row that I've decided to share what we gave for Christmas. I much prefer this version to sharing what I got because quite frankly I don't really care what people give me or don't give me for Christmas. 

I get the most joy from what I give to others. And I usually put a lot of time and effort into our Christmas gifts so it's always nice to show off all that hard work.

Christmas by the Numbers

Happy Christmas Eve! Headed off to my parents home today to spend the holidays. But first, I wanted to share some of the high points of Christmas so far...by the numbers! 

home for the holidays

Not going to lie, I've definitely been overwhelmed with the holidays this year. It's not easy to be earning a doctorate degree while trying to make time for the rest of those real life moments. I love all the special parts about Christmas...the decorating, the ornaments, the Christmas cards. But all those things require time and that's one thing that I never have very much of. 

Friday Favorites 12.22.17

Hello All! 

Can you believe it that there are just 3 more days until Christmas and then onto ringing in the New Year? Before I get to ahead of myself, here are some favorites that I've shared this week. 

a day in the life of a dental student: sleigh decay

So close to finishing up yet another semester of dental school (just a few more days!), but before I do, thought I'd share another day in the life of a dental student to reflect my current schedule before things get even busier next semester.

it's christmas card time!

With only 7 days until Christmas, we finally got our holiday cards out! Had the quickest turnover to get these ordered, delivered, signed, and mailed back out all in less than a week. Ha! Time management at its finest. 

trimming the travel tree

From encountering black bears in Alaska all the way to snorkeling in Florida, 

we've definitely ventured wide and far across the states this year. Not to mention, traveling all through Europe, picking up my favorite souvenir along the way...christmas ornaments.

I do this all year long and by the time December rolls around, I've collected quite a few holiday baubles to adorn the tree. This has been the best idea and holiday tradition to start because it ties the best parts of the year into our Christmas tree. Just when you thought Christmas couldn't get any better. Now, we can reminisce about travels past while decorating the tree. I wanted to show off some of my favorites from this year, so I grouped them into fun little categories below.