The Day After...

Blogmas Day 26

It's the day after Christmas. While there is still plenty of time to spend with loved ones and lots of holiday cookies are still floating around, I'm always a bit overwhelmed by this date. I try to look at the positive side, but today I know that things are winding to a close instead of building up in anticipation. There is a year to wait for this time to come again. Now that it's the day after…here are 25 things I will miss about Christmas

1.) First, is the carols. Because only Christmas music still sounds 

good even when I sing it so off key. 

2.) The classic Christmas movies that give you all the good feels 

because even the bad guys turn good in the end. 

3.) My favorite Christmas tradition for spending time with Husband 

4.) Having a chance to see friends and family. 

When else during the whole entire year does everyone

 make the biggest effort to be together? 

5.){Not so} Ugly Christmas Sweaters 

6.) Strands of twinkling lights everywhere you turn. 

Somehow they just make things more magical 

7.) Getting to feel guilt-free about eating all the cookies 

8.) Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows on Top

9.) The big jolly man in the red suit 

10.) Oh and mistletoe too. Wink* Wink*

11.) Christmastime in the City 

12.) The Traditions...Christmas celebrations are the best mix of so many traditions from all over the world.

13.) "holiday greetings and great happy meetings when friends come to call"

14.) Baking, creating, making, and shopping for gifts for family and friends 

15.) the chance of a white Christmas is the best thing you could hope for

16.) the fact that everyone seems to be nicer to each other this time of year 

17.) BLOGMAS!

18.) sending and receiving the prettiest holiday cards. Stationary is 

my not so secret love with having a trunk full of cards. 

19.) Having an excuse to use Betty Sue {my stand mixer} every 

single day making holiday treats 

20.) Whether hosting or attending…holiday parties are the best

21.) Reindeer Crossing! 

Now dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! 

On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen! 

22.) Wrapping all the presents! I must be the only person who doesn't see 

this one as a chore. I love wrapping gifts with big bows and pretty tags 

23.) Gingerbread Houses

24.) Fun Holiday pjs 

25.) Getting Presents! Because lets just be honest.

Who doesn't love this one?

Christmastime isn't quite over yet and I'm missing it so much already. This really is the most wonderful time of the year and I can't wait for it to come again. 

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Merry Christmas

Blogmas Day 25 

Let's keep things quick and simple shall we? Because it's Christmas! And there are lots of important things to be done today…none of which involve the internet. So fix yourself a cup of cocoa, grab a seat in front of the tree, and enjoy today with everything it brings. 
Happy Christmas All! 

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it's Christmastime in the City

Blogmas Day 24 

Merry Christmas Eve Dear Friends,

 I hope you are all enjoying the holiday! One of the best parts of our holiday season has been spending it in the city of Boston. We love this city so much already, but it truly shows off at Christmastime…

the Golden dome of the State House shines a little brighter thanks to lovely holiday wreaths tied up with giant bows

 city sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style 

In the air there is a feeling of Christmas 

it's Christmastime in the City

I can't get over all the fresh greenery floating around the city

festive wreaths hanging on doors…window boxes filled with holiday cheer….and loose garland wrapped around everything

Also, I'm a little obsessed with these gorgeous doors and their holiday wreaths scattered throughout the city. I could happily move into any of these

but really, I'm serious about all these pretty doors and wreaths 

And just one more door because why not...

When the sun goes down in the city, it gets even better around here 

Strings of street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green 

it's Christmastime in the city 

Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall are the best place to be at night…

Lots of lights and plenty of places for holiday shopping 

 We popped into Quincy Market for some warmth…had to take a shot of this gorgeous ceiling 

Also, how do you choose between these two pictures of the same Christmas tree. 

On the left, it's surrounded by other trees being lit up…On the right is the exact same tree being reflected by the shops in the background. 

I couldn't chose, so I had to include both 

the prettiest store fronts that invite you right in…

it's Christmastime in the City 

A big thank you to Boston for being so magical this year and to Husband for getting us out of the house. Whoever you are, wherever you are right now…I hope you're enjoying your Christmastime in the City. 

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Holiday Travel

Blogmas Day 23 

Are you traveling for the holidays? 

Right now, we are on the road with a 10 hour drive to visit family for Christmas. We are no strangers to traveling and we are definitely used to long drives, crowded airports, and everything in between. So I'm here to share a few tips to make holiday travel a little easier. 

1. Pack Light: We are traveling by car so I'm feeling extra temped to overpack. But it's just not worth it. We are already traveling with our pup and have lots of gifts to bring too, so the less clothes we pack, the better. It takes a little extra effort, but I find that outfit planning ahead of time is the way to go. Plus, packing pieces that can be worn several ways helps a bit too. 

2. Clean Out and Fill Up: If you're driving like us, take the time to clean out the car. A long road trip or even a short one will be made much better with less clutter in the car. And don't forget to fill up the gas tank before you go. Chances are that gas is probably less expensive near your home. Plus, there is no need to make unnecessary stops. 

3. Arrive Early: If you're flying, arrive early. The airports are extra busy this time of year. And there may be quite a few people there who aren't used to flying so getting through security may take a little longer than expected. 

4. Pack Snacks: Eating out while traveling will add up quickly. Plus your options are going to pretty limited to mostly to junk food. Whether we are flying or driving, we always have healthy treats packed with us to keep our energy up. Though I think some homemade Christmas cookies may have made it into our bags this time around.  

5. Bring Entertainment: All of our devices are charged up and ready to go, loaded with movies, podcasts, and books of tape to keep us busy. While we are hoping to only be on the road for 10 hours, we are also expecting delays and now we are prepared for them.  

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{Not so} Ugly Sweater: 3 Ways

Blogmas Day 22 

Because there are still a few days left to wear those ugly Christmas sweaters, I thought mine deserved it's own feature. I picked this beauty up for a mere $13 last month. I expected it to be a gag sweater that I'd wear once or twice. What I didn't expect is that it would become something that I would totally fall in love with and be wearing non-stop. Here are just 3 of the many ways I've been wearing my {not so} ugly Christmas sweater this season. 

Tis the Season 

I wore this sweater for the first time here during Black Friday shopping. Loved having something to cheer me up and warm me up while fending off the holiday crowds. 

At the Christmas Tree Farm 

Can't think of a better place to wear a holiday sweater than a Christmas tree farm! We loved cutting down our own tree this year and thanks to this outfit, I was the most festive one there. 

For a Holiday Date 

Husband loves this sweater as much as I do and suggested that I wear it for a holiday date. What better way to end the 12 dates of Christmas than wearing a holiday sweater while enjoying Christmastime in the City! 

Do you have a ugly Christmas sweater or a fun holiday piece you enjoy wearing? 

I'd love to hear about it. 

Linking up with wednesdaywearables//

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the 12 dates of Christmas

Blogmas Day 21

Our Christmas Present 

This weekend Husband and I finished up our Christmas gift to each other and I'm so excited to share what is was. But it wasn't a physical gift at all. In fact, we don't give each other traditional Christmas presents. If you are a regular around here, you already know the reasons we aren't giving each other Christmas gifts. Since we married, it's become our tradition. Instead we gift each other experiences and time together. This will be our 3rd Christmas as a married couple, but it's the first Christmas that we have had the opportunity to spend this much time together. Our school situations have always kept us apart for most of the holiday season, but this year granted us the opportunity to spend the whole of December together. We took complete advantage of this by gifting each other the 12 dates of Christmas…12 holiday-themed dates during the month of December.

For the first date of Christmas, we cut down our own Christmas tree...

This was the first time that I cut down my own tree. And I love that my first experience with this was with Husband for our first date of Christmas!

For the second date of Christmas, we decked the halls 

We decided to keep things simple this year, but by the time we hung the wreath, decorated our tree, and finished our DIY Card Display…it felt like Christmas. When Christmas is over, I'm really going to miss the twinkling lights and the amazing scent of fresh pine every time you walk through the door 

For the third date of Christmas, we had a Paint Nite Date Night

Husband gets 100% of the credit for planning this date all on his own. I love that he knew this is something I would like. Even though he is not the best at crafts, he did it for me. And now we have a set of winter wonderland birch tree wine glasses to show for it. 

For the fourth date of Christmas, we ate Chocolates and drank Cocoa 

We went to one of Boston's best chocolate shops to drink hot cocoa and pick out a few morsels to enjoy. We loved choosing a Christmas box and filling it with treats! Between the gourmet chocolates and the old fashioned candy, this place made quite an impression on us. We have been back twice since our first trip! It's quite addictive. 

For the fifth date of Christmas

we went to the Nutcracker Ballet to Cherish the Moment 

For the sixth date of Christmas, we had a Holiday Dinner at Home 

 I made a special dinner that I had been planning for Husband. We had dijon rosemary pork roast with a vegetable medley. For dessert was this upside down pineapple cranberry cake...another tradition of ours. 

For the seventh date of Christmas, we took Family Photos with Santa 

We loved seeing all the pups in their holiday sweaters. And PJ loves every dog {and human} he encounters. Taking photos has never been so fun!   

For the eighth date of Christmas, we baked cookies together…

For this date, I had planned to keep things simple by baking the cookies myself, then having us decorate them together. But Husband surprised me by saying that he wanted to bake with me. He has a general understanding of what the stand mixer does, but he has never actually used it before. I put him in charge of making this recipe and he did great, plus he had me laughing the whole time! 

For the ninth date of Christmas, we had a dinner date and watched the light show

It's been a warm winter in Boston so far, but we somehow managed to pick the coldest night for this. Totally worth it to walk around Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market right in the center of Boston. We loved seeing the lightshow! And even better, we ended up with the restaurant balcony all to ourselves at dinner. 

There's nothing like an 85ft tree to put you in the Christmas spirit! 

For the tenth date of Christmas, we created a Keepsake Ornament

We have wanted to preserve PJ's paw print for years and we decided to spend a date night doing just that. We were most excited about this kit because it was a "no mess, no mixing, no baking" kit. There was no mixing or baking involved, but there was definitely a mess. I was convinced this would be an epic fail, but the final product turned out pretty great! 

For the eleventh date of Christmas, we took a walk through the park 

Boston Common is our favorite place in the city, but we have never seen it at Christmastime. A secluded midnight walk through the park to see all of the twinkling lights was the perfect impromptu date..it doesn't get any more romantic than this

For the twelfth date of Christmas, we spent the morning ice skating and eating our favorite brunch 

Once again, we headed to our favorite Boston Common. This time we did some outdoor iceskating on Frog Pond. Husband has rollerbladed for years so he is annoyingly good at iceskating while I'm a total klutz, but we still had a blast together. I think we need to go back before the season ends! 

During our relationship, we have spent more time long distance (7 out of 8 years) than we have together. Nothing could be a better gift than spending so much time together. I adore this holiday tradition of ours of not exchanging Christmas presents, but exchanging experiences. This year, the 12 dates of Christmas has been the best thing for us. It got us up and out of the house, exploring our city, and fully enjoying everything that comes with this time of the year. 

Our Christmas Present 2014 
Our Christmas Present 2013

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Linking up with BLovedBoston//