Holiday Confessions

-I love the holidays and everything about them.  I even like going shopping on Saturdays when people are everywhere and the lines are really long.  It gets me in the holiday spirit.

-I love giving my family gifts.  I like picking them out but I sometimes think about it WAY too much and can't decide on anything.  I just want it to be the perfect gift.

-I like making Christmas wishlists with Marcus and seeing what he comes up with.  His lists can get pretty crazy!  On his list this year:  a sectional, a waverunner, and multiple remote control cars.  And I know the holidays aren't all about getting gifts, but I still really like it.

-I love having a "mini Christmas" with just Marcus and I before we head off to visit our families, even if that means opening our gifts a day or two before Christmas.

-I like jello salads.

The Tree

1400 lights

85 ornaments

too many tripped breakers and blown fuses

3 trips to walmart

countless popcorn kernals

and

17 billion hours

LATER

Our tree is finally ready.

And as much work as it was, it was totally worth it.  Although this year I really started to understand why my dad was such a "scrooge" every year when it came to the tree.  It can sure be a pain!

And do you know what my favorite part is?  Besides it being 14 feet tall, and my new tree skirt, I absolutely love the popcorn.  

Just because

Happy Friday!

Welcome Christmas!

We had our kickoff to Christmas Saturday after Thanksgiving when we went up to Preston to go get Christmas trees.  There was SO much snow this year and with every step you would sink waist deep into the thick powder.  Katie had to stay in the car with baby Stella and Elise and Joe weren't able to come up this year, but the rest of us trekked  up the mountain side to find our perfect trees.

  
They were covered in so much snow that you had to shake them to get all of the snow off to get a good look.  Once we cut our tree down and started hauling it down the mountain, we realized how completely heavy it was.  Marcus and I would pull with all of our strength (at least with all of mine) and get a few feet, fall in the snow, and have to take a rest.  It was such a process!  Finally my dad switched me and I hauled his lighter tree while he and Marcus struggled the rest of the way down with ours.

  This is our tree, to the left of us.

As always, it was quite the adventure!