Baby it's cold outside....

Ahhh....it's that time of year again!!!  I'm one of "those" people with a freakish love of Christmas.  When I was growing up I had my own little tree for my room that I could decorate and every year I would have that tree in my room, along with lights that I hung from the ceiling all the way around my room. 

Last year in our tiny 900 sq. foot house I had 3 (yes...3) trees; the big tree in the dining room, the medium tree in the front room so Kyle could hang his hunting decorations and a little fiber optic tree in the kitchen.  I resisted the urge to hang lights around the outside of the house (Kyle isn't going to be so lucky this year, though I'm going to ease into it, one strand along the front).

This year I have cut back to two trees instead of three.  I have found other ways though to "enhance" our holiday spirit.  This involved two trips to Michaels and one to Hobby Lobby to hunt for more holiday decorations (as if I didn't already have enough).  I found some cute red and green blocks that spell out JOY and NOEL.  I also got some country-esque garland (I wouldn't want to distract from the hunting theme in our living room) to put on top of the entertainment center.  I also broke down and bought some new decorations for the tree.  I reasoned that after 5 years of decorating the tree the same way it was time for a change, though I didn't go crazy.  All of the new decorations for the tree only cost us $6, so I would say I got a pretty good deal (thank you Michael's!).

Usually along with decorating I get pretty excited to go Christmas shopping to buy present for friends and family.  One of my favorite things is seeing them get excited about the gifts that I/we give them.  For some reason this year I am having a really hard time getting motivated to get my shopping done.  I think part of it has something to do with not wanting to spend the money this year (lame, I know).  The other part I think is not wanting to have to deal with the mall...and crowds....and lines.  Maybe this is the year I should venture into the world of online shopping.  I need to figure it out soon though, because Christmas will be here before we know it!

In the mean time I will continue to listen to my Christmas music on Pandora (Kenny G, I heart you), enjoy the Christmas decorations and try to motivate myself to get my Christmas shopping done!