Christmas Craze

The tree is up, the lights still in the process of being strung (outside at least...), the shopping nearly complete....the hustle and bustle of the season is in full motion!

 

Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday but oddly enough, it's taken me a while to get  wrapped up into the grand scheme of it all (no pun intended). Well, the baking and gift-wrapping side of Christmas anyway. Usually by now my counter-tops have been festively outlined corner to corner with enough baking necessities to open our own Christmas eatery, along with the ever needed go-to cookie recipes with a few "maybe I'll try these this year" recipes intertwined in the mix. Until today, not a cookie. I also like to put out a gift or two under the tree. Just to tease. ;) Thankfully the boys have helped in that arena and the day after our tree was up they got busy on some hand-made gifts.

I think it's due in part to the fullness of the calendar, the lack of snow/cold/wintery-like weather, or the thought of having "more time" since Thanksgiving fell a few days earlier this year. Maybe it's partly because of that holiday "home" sickness that bubbles to the surface. Maybe it's a little big of everything. Either way, I've been feeling a little 'behind'. Despite it all, there is no hum-bugging in this house as it has reached capacity of being decoratively Christmasy & cozy, the holiday music on nearly every waking hour, egg nog in the fridge, the stockings hung, and those cards finally mailed and packages ready to ship to family.

 Even with the "lack of", there is still "plenty of"....we enjoyed a bit of Christmasing this past weekend and it's just the beginning! My amazingly talented hubby took to the pottery wheel once again, hand-crafting his ceramics for all to enjoy. It was countless hours spent over these past weeks making those perfect mugs/bowls/vases/coasters/etc for the 3rd Annual Art Showcase and Sale at the Humboldt museum! I have a severe lack of humility when it comes to this particular thing.....

so proud of my man!

The boys and I also took to the streets of Winnemucca for the annual Parade of Lights--a yearly tradition! Thankfully it wasn't too chilly but still required a cup of hot cocoa and Christmas movie when we got home afterward. 

Carson and Daniel--cousinly love :)

Santa!

Mason's favorite--the "sparkly tractors" :)

The Anderson Christmasing will continue in full force with plenty of holiday movies to be watched, traditions to follow, more cookies to bake, presents to wrap, carols to be sung, all the while keeping in mind the real reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place! This was made years ago by one of our boys and it still adorns our tree every year, right in the very center...right where HE should always be in our lives.