December Moments

This December was an odd mix of lots of hustle and bustle at the beginning of the month and then once I got covid, it was a whole lot of chillin at home. Both phases had little moments that made them a little more fun.

Mom decorated her table with the candy trees we all made during thanksgiving, it turned out so cute! It was really fun to be able to enjoy them all season long.

Early in the month I had a fun day with V and Monty while Beth studied for finals. We went to target and bought some gifts for them to give to each other as well as Beth on Christmas morning. Then we went back to mom and dads house to decorate Christmas cookies!

Monty got super into it and created several masterpieces.

I let him have full creative control so he could use as much frosting and sprinkles as his little heart desired.

V briefly graces us with her presence and decorated a couple of cookies. She enjoyed eating them with us though.

Mom and I probably had the most fun, we were the last ones standing and made sure every single cookie got decorated. We had so much fun being creative, trying out different techniques and making each cookie unique.

I loved how they all turned out!

Tiggy was staying at mom and  dads house for a little  while, so she got to come out and play after we  were done with the cookies.

She looked so adorable in moms woodland Christmas decor.

We always kick off the Christmas season with the Vivaldi by Candlelight concert the first weekend in December. This years program was phenomenal. I sat next to dad, and he was giddy the entire time. After the concert, he said it was the best candlelight concert he has ever been too, we've been going to that concert for years so that is very high praise.

This was their 40 year anniversary, no wonder their program was so amazing.

I also got to attend the MCO concert at Abravanae Hall. Their concerts are always such a beautiful experience. They have hundreds of singers so they fill the stage as  well as the balconies so audience members are totally enveloped in the heavenly music.

Andrew and John came with us, I love having them in Utah! They were so sweet and escorted mimi safely across the street.

After the MCO concert, mom, dad and I did our annual visit to Frosty's Winter Wonderland. I don't know how, but it gets better every year!

They always leave candy canes out for visitors.

As I was taking pictures, this adorable marmalade kitty comes running up to me and wanted all the pets and attention. He was so sweet and I couldn't resist picking him up, he didn't mind and seemed to enjoy the better view of the lights.

When we got home, mom showed me her Immanuel wreath. It's a special advent with different names of Christ around the side of the wreath. Each night you light a candle and read about each name. We were a little behind, so we lit quite a few of the candles and read about the characteristics of Christ as we went along.

When we were done, mom used her fancy, vintage candle snuffer to snuff out the flames.

I love my neighborhood Harmons for so many reasons, one of those reasons is how decked out they get for the different holidays. For Christmas this year, they had a huge tree with life sized deer next to it. It brought me so much happiness every time I went shopping. They also sometimes had a sweet lady playing Christmas carols on a keyboard. They sure know how to create an upscale shopping experience.

This years snow has been crazy! We have had non stop storms. Trying to keep up with the shoveling has almost been a full time job. I even had to shovel my porch!

Look how deep that is!

But I have to admit, the snow did make for some pretty gorgeous landscapes. I have been trying to find  a  way to view morning sunlight without having to actually go outside since it's been so cold. I came up with sitting in a chair since and viewing the light through the open door. I started with the door fully open, then I kept closing it just a little until it was open enough just to stick my face outside.

I was shocked to see the cold and the snow didn't  stop  Louis from venturing  into the backyard. How adorable  are  his little footprints in the snow?! I quickly learned I couldn't view the  sunlight  in the basement  without the kitties sneaking passed me, so then I moved my morning ritual upstairs.

Speaking of the kitties, we had lots of bonding time this month!

We spent many hours cuddling on the couch together during my covid days. I couldn't really complain about this view, snuggly kitties with a magical Christmas backdrop.

These were taken over several days, she lived on the pink blanket. I can't ever get enough of Dinah's paws, I think they are the cutest things.

All three of us couldn't get enough of this blanket during the super cold mornings. Louis loved to snuggle his face deep down in it and I thought it was so adorable.

When I had small windows of energy and focus while I was sick, I would try to get some computer work done. Louis found ways of protesting...

Louis also got a turn on the pink blanket... sometimes. The war they had over this coveted sitting spot was intense.

They each found other places to relax when they got kicked off the blanket by their sibling.

I'm so glad I had them to keep me company when I was quarantined at home.

During both the busy and slow seasons of this December, Christmas movies were enjoyed by the tree.

I love how it looked all lit up at night, it made my home feel so cozy.

I got a little crafty one evening and wanted to try to make decorations for my new gingerbread castle I got at Jolly's this year.  I came up with the idea to decorate tiny little Christmas trees in my vintage, pastel color palette.

I made too sizes, small...

.... and extra small.

I used beads and tiny pom poms to decorate them. They turned out pretty adorable.

They fit on the castle, kind of. I need to experiment more with other decoration ideas. Either way, it was fun to be crafty and creative.

My annual photo of Dinah and Louis helping me wrap my Christmas presents.

I had the Madisons this year for our gift exchange and I was so excited to use this hedgehog wrapping paper I had found months before. It was a total hit, everyone loved it.

It was a pretty merry December!