Loving… the Christmas season. It feels like it’s been a weird Christmas season for me… maybe because I took a cruise right after Thanksgiving? I didn’t decorate my apartment until 10 days into the month and I didn’t start Christmas shopping until two weekends ago, when I’m usually finished by early December. Whew. Even still, I love this time of year, especially the anticipation of Christmas Day. And I’m also stoked that we basically get an entire weekend of Christmas this year. Yessss!
Loathing… spending money. December is such a darn expensive month, is it not? Between buying gifts and attending parties, money has been flying out of my wallet faster than I like. It makes me all sorts of anxious! Come January, I think I’ll engage in a spending freeze and allow my accounts to recover from the chaos of December.
Reading… If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins. I’m finishing out my year with a slew of romance novels, starting with a fun one by one of my favorite authors. This will be Book #91 for the year, so I guess you could say I had a successful year of reading.
Watching… Christmas movies! I’m trying to watch one Christmas movie every night this week while writing Christmas cards and preparing gift bags for my coworkers. It’s been so perfect!
Anticipating… this weekend! Oh, what a Christmassy weekend it will be. On Friday, I’m decorating Christmas cookies with my mom, my oldest nephew, and my brother. On Saturday, my aunt and uncle are hosting a small get-together at their home for the extended family. And on Sunday, my mom and I will open presents and soak in the family time with my brother and his family.
Thinking about… taking risks and following my heart. I feel like I’ve been content to lead a very small life, and I also think I’ve let my introversion, shyness, and high sensitivity hold me back from truly seeking out adventure and new experiences. I’ve been ruminating on what I want my word for 2017 to be and I think it’s going to be something along the lines of liberate or free. I want to liberate myself from the constrictions I’ve placed on myself.
Feeling… very satisfied with 2016. It was a pretty solid year for me and it’s not one of those years where I feel shame or guilt at everything I didn’t accomplish. I moved into my own apartment, dated and had romance, went on some amazing vacations, and grew in my career. I can enter 2017 with hope, excitement, and grace.
What are you currently loving and loathing?
Feeling the same way about spending in December. It carries on into January for us because all 3 of us have January birthdays. Definitely not going crazy on parties this year. Trying to save some money and have Caleb’s party at home. My mom and I will be cooking and making his cake.
You’ve had a great 2016 and I love how many books you read! I’m making it a goal to step up my reading next year by cutting back on my phone / social media usage.
I feel the same way about Christmas sneaking up on me since I traveling after Thanksgiving as well. I got most of my shopping done before my trip, though, so that helped! Thank God I did that, though, as the last week+ has been consumed by wedding planning! I had to jump right into it since we are having a short 5-month engagement!
I’m loving all the holiday cards we’ve been receiving! I’m loathing the bitterly cold weather we’ve had lately! It ‘warmed up’ to 30 today, though, which feels downright tropical after the stretch of sub-zero weather/windchills we’ve had!
Ugh, December is SO FREAKING EXPENSIVE, it’s heinous. I love the month, & I love buying gifts, etc., but it’s just totally draining my wallet.
Sounds like you are ready for Christmas for the most part. It is a wonderfully magical and exciting time of year :). I’m with you on the spending though – even though I have kept my Christmas purchasing to a minimum (I avoid the malls and major stores at this time of year at all costs if possible!), it still leaks a hole in my wallet.
Loving: the Christmas season and a few days off to soak it in. Christmas Eve will be a cuddly night in spent with my boyfriend and the next two days after will be for family gatherings. We hosted a Christmas potluck with friends this past weekend, and served real, home-made, feasting food!
Loathing: How busy this time of year can be, especially when you work in retail. It gets stressful and a little crazy to say the least.
Merry Christmas, and enjoy the holidays!
Hurray for Christmas movies & Christmas decorations & Christmas all around! Woo!
I love Christmas and all that comes with it, but yeah, spending the money is not that much fun… although I LIKE buying stuff for people and sending off cards and all. It’s a balance 😉
Happy holidays, Stephany!