I’ve been on a blogging break all month–work deadlines, holiday prep, everyone’s been sick (I have the flu as I type this, I never get the flu). But this was our December:

We picked out our tree in a windy snowstorm, and it was a good thing. We got the last good Douglas Fir on the lot. 

H went with an alpine ski lodge theme for the wrapping paper this year. I don’t know if that was intentionally chic, or if she was just drawn to all of the illustrated people and dogs here. 

Oh, Christmas tree! We had to cut almost a foot off the bottom so it would fit in the house, but she was a beauty. 

The traditional teacher treat boxes. I didn’t make any jam this year, and I wasn’t as crafty and organized as I usually am, so teachers got a batch of chewy chocolate ginger-molasses cookies and a box of tea. 

The whole family went to Longwood Gardens together the Saturday before Christmas, but it absolutely poured that night. We had less than an hour before the skies opened up, but we still had a pretty good time together.

These two cousins especially loved hanging out around Longwood. 

I don’t know why this dog was so warn out by the holidays, other than a lot of barking at delivery guys and my brother-in-law Thomas (they hadn’t met before). But I guess that was enough to wear him out until 2018. 

For her present this year, I took my mom to see Handel’s Messiah with the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. We had dinner at The Smith first and then front row seats for the show, which was splendid. Such a great night together, it definitely helped the Christmas spirit. 

I made these felt Christmas trees for the holiday table. I never got around to posting a tutorial for them, so maybe I’ll put that one up for next year. But they were fun to make!

My messy, gooey, Christmas Eve lasagna. 

Santa had a bit of a theme this year, there were unicorns everywhere. But her biggest surprise was “an American Girl that looks like me.” She’s been talking about it for months and put it in her letter to Santa, and Santa delivered. Everything else, other than stocking stuffers like these, came from the family.

Santa’s wrapping paper was super on-brand for H this year. 

I was gifted the DVD box set of Law & Order, which I have been watching on a loop while in bed with the flu. 

It’s been a great but draining year, with lots of Adam travel for work, new jobs, and H progress. Adam gave me a spa weekend in Charleston for Christmas, and I could not be more excited for that upcoming trip. I’m really excited to reboot for the new year, it’ll be like a retreat. 

And then, just because it feels like it’s not Christmas now if I don’t post a photo, here’s the Christmas monkey bread. I had been making it Christmas morning until last year, when I made it for Boxing Day brunch with my family, and that’s what I did again this year. Everyone came over the day after Christmas to hang out, open presents, and eat stuff.

It was a great, great holiday season. And now I’m going to pass out in a stupor before tackling end-of-year wrap up stuff. G’night!