Traditions elfing rock!

The holidays for me are sort of bitter sweet because they remind me so much of my mom. Not only did my mom LOVE Christmas, but she also celebrated her birthday and her wedding anniversary in the month of December. It was her absolute favorite time of year, and because of that I can’t help but get a little sad every time the holidays come around. I miss her more in the month of December than I do any other time of year. She loved the tradition of cooking, family and celebrating. I try to carry on those traditions, but they aren’t quite the same without her.

Her three favorite Christmas traditions that I try my best to carry on are:

1. Send Christmas cards to those that we love
2. Make endless amounts of cookies
3. Attend as many holiday parties as possible

This week, in honor of my mom, I am going to be partaking in all of the above.
Last night Gibson and I made almost two hundred cookies for my annual Girls Night In Cookie Exchange. I think I still may have some cookie dough underneath my fingernails. I will let you know for sure later in the day when I have a hankering for something sweet. They are made, bagged in cute little Christmas bags, and ready to share with the best of girlfriends, along with a glass or two or three of wine.

And the Christmas cards…those went out over the weekend. Sending and receiving Christmas cards is the ultimate tradition of the year. I love getting Christmas cards from my friends that I see every day, but I love receiving cards from those that I never get to see even more. And of course, it’s always fun to get one from those whom you would never expect to get one from. It’s fun to look back every year at the cards. Sometimes we cry at the memories but most of the time we laugh at how much our loved ones have changed over the years. Each year I spend an abnormal amount of time choosing the perfect card. Each year I say without fail, “this is by far the best card I have ever sent out.” And this year, wasn't any different.

Thought I would share it with you.

Here is the front...



...and the back (this is a true depiction of what goes on at my house on a daily basis)



But my favorite tradition of all is, of course, the Christmas parties. I am social by nature but usually don’t get out much during the year. I think I have hit the stage in my life where I would rather sit at home with a good glass of wine than go to the bars. So I take every advantage in the month of December to get out and socialize and celebrate. This week I have three separate parties to attend, yeah, I’m that popular! But more importantly, it gives me the opportunity to shop for the perfect dress and shoes! And we all know I love to shop.

Selfishly, I love it when traditions benefit me in some way!

Cheers!