I was asked a question this week during a family game of Hygge, the game of cozy conversations. The question was, "If you could add a month to any season of the year, what season would that be?" Happily Troy and I agree, and instantly knew our answer. Christmastime! Maybe if I could add two weeks to Christmas and two weeks to mid-spring, I would do that. But truly, if I had to choose, it would be Christmastime. And not only did we not have an extra month between Thanksgiving and December 25, we had less time than usual. It isn't possible for Thanksgiving to fall on a later date in the year than November 28 and that's just when it was. Boo. Nothing against Thanksgiving, trust me. Another beloved holiday. But it left just 3 1/2 weeks between Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas. That is definitely not enough time for me.
Here's how we handled this problem. For starters, we put up our Christmas decorations early. I am truly a fan of our Thanksgiving decorations, but this year, they just had to go early. And the music? Oh we had been listening to Christmas music since about Halloween. (Yep, we're those people.) After the sad events in November, our hearts were sad and sore and we needed the light of Christmas. We got all the decorations up except for the tree, which was waiting for us on the back porch when we got back from St. George. And that was up and decorated by the end of the day.
Before we decorated the tree, however, I made everyone run to the backyard for a family photo. Troy and I knew that we would not be all together again during daylight hours for another week, so despite a day of travel and the deep desire to each go hide in our various bedrooms for some napping, we managed to get a picture together good enough for a Christmas card.
The first Christmas activity on my calendar was to visit the Christkindl Market at This is the Place, where Romney put in four 12-hour days in a row. That event has pretty much gone viral, and draws huge crowds, requiring the redirection of traffic all the way down Foothill Boulevard. I know for a fact that the best time to be there is at night if you're there for the cozy sights of the lights and fires and candles and stuff. But the crowds are just not worth it. Emily and I went on Friday morning right as it opened, and even then it was bustling. It's really fun but honestly when you take a step back from it...it's just shopping. There are performers and characters dressed in costumes walking around, like Krampus and Red Riding Hood and Santa Lucia. Fun. But mostly just shopping. Emily and I had fun looking around and talking ourselves out of buying things we don't need. We did buy Brigham's Donuts to deliver them to Romney and a couple of her coworkers who were on duty. It was a pleasant morning with my dear friend.
And that evening Becca and I set out on our annual Christmas date. Dinner and a movie - always The Holiday, watched with delight as we work on our Christmas crafts. So much fun.
And with that, the Christmas season was off and running. Sprinting really, at full speed, like it always does.
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