Ten Favorite Things -- December

I can't believe it's already December! Good grief this year has flown by...

Here are a few things I especially love about December:

{Birthdays}

I'll be celebrating my 32nd this year... creeping along toward my mid-thirties, yikes! My grandma and my sister also celebrate their birthdays in December, so we get to have a lot of extra parties.

{Football}

Things are really starting to heat up as we head toward the playoffs, and these last few games are going to be HUGE for the Hawks. The December home games are always FREEZING, but it's so worth it to be there and experience the energy and excitement.

{Holiday Cheer}

Ugly sweater parties, holiday parties, office get togethers, lights on houses and wreaths on doors. Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You playing on the radio nonstop. Specialty cookies, treats and hot drinks, decorations everywhere... I am such a nerd but this stuff all puts a huge cheesy smile on my face.

{Brown Paper Packages}

tied up with string

I LOVE getting Christmas cards and packages in the mail. I'm always a little more excited for that trip to the mailbox this time of year, and the junk and catalogs don't irritate me quite as much because there's so many fun items mixed in.

{Gluttony}

Okay maybe it's just me, but during the holidays I feel absolutely no remorse about sampling all the delicious foods and treats that come my way. It's the one time of the year that I truly indulge.

{Family}

Of course Christmas Eve and Christmas morning are a given for this list, but the reason that I love them so much is because I get to spend them with my family. We have holiday traditions like It's A Wonderful Life, brunch, and puzzles that always warm my heart. And I love just lazing around my parents house without a care in the world.

{Giving}

I adore the process of giving gifts... taking the time to seek out that perfect item for each person, ordering or buying it in a store, and then wrapping it perfectly and waiting in anticipation to see the look on a loved one's face when they finally open it up.

{Friends}

December is always the time when I get the opportunity to connect with old friends. Sometimes it's by getting their annual Christmas letter in the mail, and often it's because people from far and wide travel back to their home towns to celebrate the holidays. I've got some fun get togethers planned this month and I can't wait!

{Weather}
We don't get extreme weather out here in the great state of Washington very often, but I feel like every December we are blessed with at least one dusting of snow. And the rest of the time the rainy darkness doesn't seem to bother me as much, because it's the HOLIDAY SEASON and everything is dressed up pretty with lights.

{Resolutions}

I'm actually not big on New Year's resolutions, but I do like the feeling of the end of the year drawing to a close, and a new one beginning. And this year it's especially exciting because we have SO much to look forward to in 2014! This will be our last Christmas where it's "just the two of us."

What are some of your favorite things about December?