Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!  This is the first year in a long time that I didn't send out Christmas cards.  Blame it on not making the time for it and saving a little bit of money by not sending them, whatever the reason I do feel a little bad about it.  Full disclosure- I did send cards to our grandparents, because grandparents always deserve Christmas cards.  So I'll take the time now to wish all of you reading this a "Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy new year!" 

We've had a nice, busy December leading up to the holidays.  As first year home owners I insisted we put up Christmas lights outside.  While I considered talking Rob into getting up on a ladder and hanging lights on the actual house, I calmed my ambitions and decided lights on the bushes and railing would be fine.  There was a moment of "do we really need lights?" as we stood in Target and added up our boxes of lights and extension cords and realized we were spending about $100 on everything.  That might not seem like a lot, but when you have set $25 gift limits on each other for Christmas, you definitely rethink a light purchase that is 4x that.  We justified it by reminding ourselves that we can use the lights again and again, and decorating for the holidays is a fun perk of owning a home. 

We got our tree from Lowes again this year.  Very little hassle as they wrap up and tie the tree to your car for you.  As we were waiting in line with our tree we asked the guy in front of us if he had been helped yet, and he said, "Well yes, but unfortunately I actually have 3 more trees waiting to be wrapped up...and those are just the live ones...we have about 12 more fake trees back at the house."  What?!  We'd never heard of such a thing.  Where does that guy live? 

Last night we went to see the play A Christmas Carol with Morgan and her family & friends.  It was a good time and nice way to get in the Christmas spirit.  Earlier in the week we went with Tom, Linnea and her parents to see the Christmas lights at the Botanical Garden downtown. 

So we are spending Christmas in Atlanta this year.  Rob's step-brother Justin and his family and step-sister Sarah and her family are visiting from Florida and Michigan for the holidays.  They are all staying at Ann and John's place (about 5 minutes from our house), so me, Rob, Tom and Linnea will be spending today and tomorrow with them.  Tonight Rob and I will be spending the night at our house so we can open gifts together tomorrow morning before heading over to his mom's house.  Though it'll just be the two of us together (plus Roxanne) waking up on Christmas morning, it'll be nice to spend it in our new house making new memories.  We'll be thinking of our families in South Carolina and Michigan though, and wishing we could celebrate with them as well.  Merry Christmas and safe travels to everyone this holiday season!