Ho ho ho!

Like many people, this is my favorite time of year. The temperature drops, football season is in full swing with the playoffs in sight (Go Steelers!), I pull out my winter coats (I have several, all different colors so that I can match my outfit with my coat), and I look forward to Christmas. This year, I decided that I was going to get the most out of my tree, so I unpacked it and decorated it the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I love to sit with Theo and Sassy and admire the tree when it is all lit up.

My dad is to blame for my love of Christmas lights. For as long as I can remember, he has taken Christmas lights very seriously. It may have taken a couple of decades, but he has accumulated an attic full of outdoor holiday decorations and lights. The whole process of getting the yard decorated takes several weekends. He carries the ladder up the driveway and proceeds to outline the front of the house, hang wreaths at the windows, and my mom paces in the house totally freaked out that he's going to fall and break a bone. It is reminiscent of Clark Griswald in the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation movie. I think Clark is his inspiration and that house in the scene when it finally lights up is his ultimate goal. The past few years, dad has taken it up notch by purchasing two animated light-up moose, giant blow up globes and cartoon characters, a santa complete with his sleigh and reindeer that are animated and light up (of course), and a Christmas cow. Yes. A Christmas cow. He has become my favorite. And the reason it takes several weekends to get this spectacular display of holiday cheer completely set up is because he does this all in stages and plays around with the actual arrangement of everything in the yard. Hey, he does have to carry all of this down from the attic. What I think is super special is that he doesn't forget about the back of the house. He lines the patio with lights, puts up a separate tree, and I think there is a blow-up snoopy back there too. It is pretty impressive.

My sad little Kmart tree with target ornaments just doesn't compare to what my dad creates every year in his front yard, but until I have a house of my own or an actual outlet on my balcony, I am restricted. I will say though that I get pretty competitive when it comes to door decorating if there is a contest. Normally, I am not a competitive person. I couldn't care less if I win things, but one year, I wrapped up my door in pretty paper and hung a wreath and stockings on the door. My neighbor then did the same, copying me, but she had that special wrapping paper cutter so that she actually measured and cut out the door knob. So I had to go and get candy canes to put out for people to take. She did the same damn thing! So I fixed her wagon and got battery operated twinkle lights and put them on my wreath. I don't know how I didn't win that contest...I had a light up, blinking wreath!

Another thing that I do this time of year is not only shopping, but gift knitting. Since I learned to knit, I have made most of my gifts. Hats, scarves, mittens...you name it, I've made it for someone as a gift. Typically, I start out with the best of intentions and plan on beginning my holiday knitting early. Inevitably, I am knitting right up until dinner on Christmas day to finish. I am proud to say I have never given anyone something on the needles and told them I would finish it and they would get it in a few days. Yes, people actually do that. This year, I am almost done way ahead of time! I picked a small project and I did it for my immediate family only--my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and my neice. Izzy always gets something special, and this year it is leg warmers for her to wear to her dance classes. I think I will also make her a fair isle hat, but that will only take a few days and I have plenty of time. The rest of the gifts I bought and they are stuffed in places throughout the apartment.

I even designed Christmas cards! I decided that everyone I know sends me cards with pictures of their kids on them. I don't have kids, but I do have 2 cute cats. So to embrace my current "cat lady who knits" status, I put my cats on the card and signed their names. Either people will think it's funny, cute, or sad. They can make their own judgements. I personally think it's cute and funny :)