Must resist urge to recap 2015 now that we're into the last month of the year...must...not...do...so.
Okay, phew, the urge passed and I'm fine now. :D Silliness aside, the moment we hit the twelfth month of the year, I do usually want to sum it up and quickly move on to the next brand spanking new one. I'll do that as we get closer to the ball dropping on December 31st, but for now, let's just stay put and enjoy the remaining few weeks of 2015.
After all, who knows, something might still happen during that time that could put an entirely (or at least partially) different perspective on the year for me and I would be shortchanging both myself and all of you if I overviewed 2015 before it really was as good as finished.
Instead, following on a suggestion that my dear friend Sanne put forth last year in her comment on this Halloween post, I thought it would be oodles of festive fun fun to share twelve things - one each to represent the famous twelve days of Christmas - that make me disproportionately happy about the holiday season - and by extension, winter in general.
Singing Christmas Carols
I don't profess for one red second to have much in the way of a talented singing voice and as such, especially since I've very shy, am usually not one to bust into song in the prescience of others, but come December, all bets are off and I will gleefully belt out carols anywhere, anytime! :)
Baking a near ludicrous amount of seasonal cookies and other goodies
Cookies, mincemeat tarts, fudge, popcorn balls, plum pudding, fruitcakes, rocky road bars, spritz, trifle, gingerbread houses (and men), candies, peanut brittle - yes to all those and plenty more! Cooking and baking for the holiday season is an epic favourite of mine and I go into full on Santa's elves production mode with the slew of treats I whip up from the start of December to the earliest days of the New Year (you can find someone of my seasonal favourites on my vintage recipes page).
Playing in the snow
No matter how old I get, I still absolutely adore playing in the snow - be it helping to build a snowman or laying on my back in some fresh powder and creating snow angels - and look forward to doing so every year (ditto for catching snowflakes on my tongue).
The smell of freshly cut Christmas trees (and anything pine or spruce!)
Seriously, hands down, one of my favourite scents ever and one that I try to bring into my home not only with real pine trees, boughs and wreaths, but through pine scented candles, incense, and room fresheners. I find that pine has the perfect ability to sooth and energize at the same time, plus it is unquestionably one of the most evocative smells of the season.
Big (marshmallow topped!) mugs of steaming hot chocolate
If I make it myself from scratch using melted milk, dark, or white chocolate bars, I can usually safely (from a medical diet standpoint, I mean) enjoy the occasional mug of hot chocolate. Marshmallows, whipped cream, candy cans, cinnamon sticks, and or other fun toppings always in toe! I'm also a huge fan of (non-alcoholic) mulled apple cider and adore serving batches of it along with homemade baked goods at impromptu family holiday season get-togethers.
Rereading and/or rewatching Dickens’ beloved classic, A Christmas Carol
Not only is my favourite Christmas story ever, but it's one of my favourite works of fiction point blank and the holiday season simply wouldn't be the same to me without it. I really enjoy all the movie and TV versions that have been made over the years, too, very much including those featuring Disney and Muppets characters.
Wearing seasonal colours and festively themed attire
Kitschy novelty brooches? Check! Festive sweaters? Check! Copious amounts of red and green? Check and check!!! I adore dressing up for any holiday and Christmas is certainly no exception to that rule. From about November 25th, a full month before the big day onward, you'll find me decked out in styles that celebrate the season far more days than not.
Mailing out - and some years hand making my own - Christmas cards
I know, I know, it's the seasonal task that sneaks up on us perhaps more than any other and I've been guilty of mailing my cards were just a few days to go before the 25th a time or two myself, but I've always been wild about snail mail and love that this tradition allows me to send oodles of it out in one fell swoop.
Taking brisk walks in the cool evening air while the down is festooned in Christmas lights
The magic of Christmas comes out in full force when one does so and it is a highly beloved element of the season for me - as is driving around down to see everyone's beautiful holiday light displays.
Pouring over the Sears Wish Book catalogue
So deep is my lifelong love of this act that I made sure to pen a post devoted just to it way back in my blog's first year of life. Though the Sears Wish Book Christmas catalogue has changed a lot over the decades, it still provides many hours of fun and, as its name implies, possible Christmas wish list entries.
Anything that combines the Victorian or Edwardian era with Christmas
The seeds of this love were likely planted by my paternal grandma, who adores such things as well, but no matter where it got its start, I am very much amongst those who utterly and completely adore Victorian and Edwardian themed holiday decor, cards, art, original antiques, you name it!
Trimming the Christmas tree and decorating the whole house from top to bottom
...Or at least those spots where our very curious and playful pets won't have a hand, err, paw, in our seasonal decor choices!
Be it trimming the tree, stringing the lights, or putting a wreath on the front door, few things catapult the start of the holidays for me than decorating for them.
{To learn more about an image used in this post, please click on it to be taken to its respective online source.}
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Though the cold does leave something to be desired at times - especially when you're out trying to a photo shoot it in and quite literally keep frostbite and/or hypothermia at bay (this is Canada after all), I have always adored winter and know that I forever will.
There is a deeply introspective quality to the stillness and darkness of this season. I find that my creativity fires on all cylinders during the icy months and that in general, my spirits are high, my heart is happy, and I tend to come up with some of my best and most original ideas during these long, cozy months.
Certainly Christmastime itself and the merriment of New Year's helps to put one in glad spirits all the more and just thinking about the twelve entries in today's post, some of which I've already started doing for the 2015 holiday season, makes me as giddy as Santa would be if an Chips Ahoy! factory opened at the North Pole!
It might be a touch too soon to recap this year yet, but I can certainly say that I hope it wraps on a positive note. Certainly imbuing my days with the handful of things discussed here, all of which really do make me over-the-winter-moon happy, will go a long way on that front and ideally help to kick 2016 off the right foot as well.
So, my dears, now that you know my list, tell me, what are some of the things that make you disproportionately happy about Christmas, any of the other awesome winter holidays, or simply the coldest season of the year in general?
