Christmas Craze

It's that wonderful time of year again, ahhhh the wonderful Christmas season. I love Christmas, I really do - I love the sounds, the smells, the sights, the lights, the excitement, the eggnog...mostly the eggnog. Just kidding, although my FIL takes the prize on best eggnog ever! As much as I love the season, it can be so overwhelming. I have vowed to make this year better than last, because last year we committed ourselves one too many times and after all was said and done on December 25th...I found we hadn't taken a single moment of time for ourselves. Not one trip to see Santa (we should be incarcerated for that one), not one trip down to Main Street (my favorite) to see the Old World Santa's and carolers, not even one evening out as a couple. There were great moments with friends and family members, but not with just "our" family. It took a bit of the merriment out of the whole season. So here I write and vow to make this year different. We're trying, even going out the weekend after Thanksgiving for a tree, which is something we've pushed to the absolute limit in years past and now have a not-so-funny story about the year there were only a handful of trees LEFT and we ended up with the Mahoney version of a Charlie Brown Christmas. Not kidding. I have pictures of Josh and Lane standing next to the pitiful excuse of a tree...both of them taller than the goofy thing. Oh yes, it was horrible.




And they will both murder me for posting these...

So far we have:

~ Put up lights outside - thank you Patrick!

~ Bought THE tree and decorated it - thank you Lane and Elise!













~ Taken Lane & friends ice skating....where I realized cold, stiff fingers do not make for award-winning photo's.













~ Bought 95% of our gifts - I mean "talked to Santa to place orders for 95% of our gifts".

~ Had a playdate with Elise's BFF, Lillian.







~ Taken pictures for good friends - thank you Casey & Sheila for letting me practice.







~ Taken pictures of Tiffany and Bill the LAST nice weekend before it turned cold - again Thank You to my friends for setting aside time to let me practice.













~ Spent cozy nights curled up fireside with a mug of this (warm and add cinnamon stick for that little something extra).


Yes, use a mug...a wineglass gets HOT with the steamy wine inside!


I just love catching these random moments....

Bows you say? Where did we score the fabulous bows Elise was sporting in many of these pics? A huge call-out to Jessica in TX who started her own business this year....check it out: Dazzling Darlings Bowtique

And we're off to see Santa this weekend. Watch out - The Mahoney's may actually pull it all off this year!