Holiday Spirit

I love Christmas. I love everything about it. I look forward to it all year long. I am a Christmas whore. I get giddy and happy and insanely festive this time of year. Kevin even says I have a "Christmas smile" which is the biggest, most genuine, happiest smile of them all. However, I have not been feeling festive this year. I have even seriously contemplated boycotting Christmas; or at least as much as I can get away with . No cards, no baking, no socializing, no Christmas music and no more decorating aside from the ginormous living room tree already completely covered in ornaments ... and the smaller 6 ft. auxiliary tree decorated only in lights in the bedroom...and the one at my parents house...and the work tree...but that's it...no more!

But since I love Christmas so much I wasn't ready to let it go quite yet so I asked Kevin to take me to Leavenworth for the tree lighting for a graduation present. So off we went early Saturday morning determined to absorb all the Christmas fabulousness that there is to absorb. As an aside, poor Kevin needed a break too. The refrigerator died on Wednesday and he had to buy a new one (and it is beautiful...angels sing when you open this one up) and then we had a pipe burst in the garage on Friday night. Friday night was a combination of cleaning up the garage and busily making a cake for my father's birthday on Sunday. Good times.

Here are some pics of the day:

The last one is the frozen Wenatchee River. Brrrrrr!

Chestnuts were eaten. Wine was consumed. Lights were lit. It had moments of festive and it sure was pretty but the Christmas feeling wouldn't stick. I was ready to call it quits on the holiday until I finally got some well-needed rest last night and a night alone (by shutting myself in my office). Today the Christmas spirit is burbling and I feel the festiveness coming on. The baking and the socializing and the music and the cards and the lights are all back on. I couldn't be happier. I might even flash some Christmas smiles.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.