Traditions - Decorations

Time to get in the Christmas spirit. Do you decorate inside the house and out?
I love Christmas. Especially a white Christmas. The joy of living in Alberta means we have snow for Christmas. I can only remember one year being a brown Christmas.
I have yet to take pictures of the lights on our house outside, but the inside is so much warmer

The Tree

The Bookshelf

The Wreath

Flowers

Center Piece

Fire place

Traditions - Christmas Eve

Some people celebrate their big gift giving Christmas Eve, others Christmas Day. My side of the family has always celebrated Christmas morning. Since this year is on my side, these are the traditions we will be observing. Frenchie's side does things slightly different.

Christmas Eve Traditions:
We have a tradition of doing Chinese food on Christmas Eve. Why this became a tradition, I can't remember. I believe we all ordered in once when there were small babies and cooking seemed like too much work at that time. We used to get take out until Frenchie and I hosted and made our own. Now we make our own every year to carry on the tradition.

When I was a kid, we always got to open one gift from our Nanna (not our grandma, but she was as close). Every year she would give us a piano book and a hand made flannel nightgown. As we got older, it was chocolate and a piano book. My sisters have carried on this tradition a little. Each child gets one gift to open and they are always new pajamas. For the last couple years us older girls all got pj's too.

We also have the Milk and Cookie tradition. The kids help one of us make cookies and they take them to the fireplace and set them out for Santa. They disappear after they all go to bed leaving a few crumbs for the next morning. My dad always says Santa would prefer Rum & Coke or a Hot Rum Toddy.

I love seeing traditions from when I was a kid seeping into the next generation. It's nice to know that traditions stay as traditions should. Knowing that we get to teach our nieces/nephew and future children how Christmas was for us means a lot.

Traditions - December

Since December can feel like a long month at the same time Christmas arrives quickly, I want to do a series of traditions posts.

Christmas is about traditions. As a couple, Frenchie and I are still figuring ours out.
For the past 6 years we have been together, we have either been separate for Christmas, or did both families during the holidays. This got to be too much so we started to say one family got Dec 24, 25, 26 and the other got either before or after those dates depending on when they fell during the week.
Now we have decided it's time to alternate years completely. With out of town family saying they will be coming for Christmas in 2013 on his side, we have opted for my side this year. Works out perfect since it's in our city and we will be able to stay at our house! First time we'll wake up in our own home together!!
We have decided we will open our gifts and stockings to each other. Give Beta her gifts, have some coffee, go for a walk and then head over to my sisters where Christmas is being hosted. Hopefully we time it perfectly to arrive for breakfast.

Let's start with these.
December Traditions:
Setting up the tree (around) December 1.
Christmas lights go on (around) December 1.
Christmas music!! Much to Frenchie's dismay, I LOVE Christmas music. I start playing them on the piano and have a continuous stream going on the weekends. Favorite is by far Michael Buble. He has such an amazing voice.
Christmas Movie: Love Actually. We watch it every year.
The Nutcracker. I love the cartoon and watch it once every year. I used to go to the Alberta Ballet performance of it but haven't for a lot of years. This year I will be going with the girls in my family to a college performance instead.
Zoo Lights. This was Frenchie and my first date and we have since (only missed 2 years) gone on our dating anniversary or as close to. The Calgary zoo decorates with lights and they offer music, hot chocolate and bonfires while you walk around and enjoy the lights. They are stunning!

Book Recap - November 2012

What I read and started in November 2012

Books read to date: 36/40

Finally on target!

Finished

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater  (review here)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail  by Cheryl Strayed (review here)
The Soldier's Wife by Leroy, Margaret (review here)
Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #9) by J.R. Ward (review here)
Easy by Tammara Webber (review here)

Started

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Savings

Monthly savings: $50.03

Year-to-date savings: $353.68

36/40: Easy by Tammara Webber

Easy by Tammara Webber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


From Goodreads: When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


Lucas... Oh that boy is almost perfect. I definitely did a few big sighs with dreamy thoughts.

I picked up this book on recommendation from my sister who wouldn't stop gushing over Lucas. I procrastinated reading it until my other sister also started gushing. Ok ok! I'll read it! Glad I did. I had no idea what it was about other than the main male character was yummy. (isn't that enough sometimes?)

Quick read, very enjoyable. I was actually surprised by the content on the assault. Webber does a great job portraying just how quick and horrific that situation could be and the consequences after. Not physically, but the mental toll it can take on the victim. She didn't sugarcoat anything, got to the point and had a strong female character triumph. I loved it. Not knowing that the story was about that topic, I was a little shocked when the scene took place.

I love this sort of romance book because they don't go into massive detail during the sex scenes. It's all about  the love, burning looks, fingers brushing lightly on skin and hands smoothing out hair lovingly. It's romantic and leaves the rest to the imagination.

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