Halloween has come and gone… and without much excitement, I’m sorry to say. Last Halloween I went all out with a hand made costume and brought home the gold from the office costume contest (well, maybe not the gold, but I did bring home $75). This year I took the easy road and went as a cat.
Yes… a cat.
I wore all black and had cat ears. I even went the extra step and drew whiskers on my face with eye liner. You see, we have Shrek in house this week and kiddos coming to the show were treated to some trick or treating pre-show. Having to be kid friendly (not too scary or off color) stifled my creativity this year. So my Marla from Fight Club costume will have to wait until next year. I’m not sure smeared mascara and a cigarette hanging out of my mouth would be good for the kiddos.
So, a cat it was.
And now onto the actual topic of this post – it’s time for the Holiday season to begin! I think today marks the beginning of my favorite 2 months of the year. November and December. I love the baking, the decor, the food (wait, does that file under baking?), the candy making, the gift giving, the friends, the family and the joy. I just love this time of year.
I’ve always been my most creative during the Holiday season. Not sure why. Maybe tinsel really does it for me.
Who knows.
I think I’m most looking forward to continuing new traditions with the Sweet Boy. Three years ago marked the first Christmas without my mom. If you knew her, you knew she made Christmas extra special. Santa still visited EVERYONE, stockings were stuffed to the brim with odds and ends suited for each recipient. This will be the 4th Christmas without her and while I don’t think I’ll ever be able to recreate what she made special, I will be able to create my own special memories.
So far, I’ve managed to make her famous (well, famous to me) Swiss Steak each Christmas Eve as a nod to her. She didn’t do that on that special night, but I think she’d love it if she were still around. It’s a small thing, but it helps me look forward to the season. Now, if only someone could sneak in and fill my stocking with candies, spatulas, mini screwdrivers and socks, I’d be completely happy.
What traditions are you looking forward to over the next couple of months? Is it your grandma’s perfect gravy on the Thanksgiving table? Is it a game of touch football with your siblings on the big day? Or is it just enjoying the lights of the Christmas tree late in the evening while the snow quietly falls outside? I’d love to hear what lights up the season for you.
IdyllHands 
Last year we made the last minute decision to rent a room in a town across the state, drove there with our stockings and gifts in tow, and just relaxed… Since it’s just the two of us and our dogs, I didn’t really want to spend the day running around visiting family, but then again, since we both work from home, staying home didn’t sound all that exciting either… so we opted to get out of town and I loved it. I’m hoping we’ll make plans to sneak away again this year and spend Christmas just relaxing…
So glad you are finding ways to bring some of your mom into your holidays Erin. That’s so special. 🙂
Oh, and I totally hear you about someone filling up the stockings, I think that’s the best part of Christmas morning!
I’ve thought about taking a trip away, just the two of us, for the Holidays. The Sweet Boy isn’t too keen on it yet, but maybe he’ll change his mind one day. It’s strange, a part of me absolutely adores the pomp and circumstance around Christmas, but as I’ve aged and maybe since my mom passed away, I’ve wanted something different.
Meow!! You look so cute! 🙂
You make the most adorable looking cat, though. Love it. And, to answer your question- sadly I haven’t really hadn’t been keeping with any traditions since I moved to Arkansas {unless I go home-Michigan-for Christmas}. With just Thom and I here, I think we tend to not make as big of deal about holidays as we would if we had kids. Must change that, methinks.
YES! You need to create those traditions with just you and Thom. It will give you something special to look forward to.