Feel Good Friday 57
And we’re back to posting FGF on Fridays… phew! Holiday tour season is always a little insane, but also so much fun. Every year as I scurry around my house cleaning, styling, yelling at children to pick up their floors so their bedrooms don’t look like Goodwill donation dumpsters, I question my sanity and wonder why I do this to myself year after year. Even now as I type this post, my front porch fresh garland that I soaked for 24 hours is a crispy brown fire hazard of holiday spirit. Next year I will only remember the fresh smelling cedar, the twinkling lights, the decorated cookies, and Alexa playing “Mom’s Christmas Mix” on repeat and I will, without a doubt or hesitation, do it all over again. When it comes down to it, this time of year I am filled with gratitude… for the community of bloggers who come together to open our virtual doors and share our homes as a collaborative effort, for the spirit of Christmas and knowing that there is goodness in the world, and for you – for being here to read my words and allowing me to be a little part of your life. I will be taking next week off from FGF as it falls on Christmas. My husband has taken the week off, and we are going to enjoy some family time to close out the year together. Before we end 2020, I wanted to bring you one more token of joy this year, so without further ado, here we go! (This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.)
Holiday Fun
Chris’ mom wanted to get a photo of Wilder wearing holiday pajamas that Chris wore as a toddler. I created a grid of the two side by side and posted in my instagram stories and asked people to vote for who wore it better and was shocked that Wilder only won by 8 votes. He’s clearly cuter. 😉 Many said it was the hat that did it, but I claim that as an unfair bias, since we didn’t have the hat! (PS- obviously, I think Chris is pretty cute, too).
Special Traditions
I wrote about our mantel and the sentimentality of family heirloom stockings here. At that time, we didn’t yet have Wilder’s stocking. My mother-in-law got it to us recently (with the pjs above), and we were so excited to hang it with the others, representing our family of five. Hanging that last stocking made our mantel feel as complete as our family now is.
A Holiday Movie Classic
When I was a small child, Mickey’s Christmas Carol was my absolute favorite of the Christmas specials that would play on TV. Of course, back in the eighties, we were much more limited than children are today. We had Rudolph, Frosty, Jack Frost, and the occasional holiday movie. These days when I turn on the TV or streaming app, I am overwhelmed by the seasonal choices accessible with the touch of a button. Even with all of those movies available, I always come back to Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and this year I was thrilled to share it with Wilder. We snuggled up on the sofa and watched, and he was mesmerized. As my teens grow older, they want less of the relics of my own childhood, so it was really special to have that moment with the littlest.
More Local Holiday Exploration
Greensboro is such an incredible small city, and they’ve created many safe opportunities for the community to celebrate this season. Last week, the kids and I hit downtown to check out Tinseltown, which is line of 50 decorated trees all decked out in different themes by local businesses. We also visited the tree downtown, and then hit up our favorite pizza place to take dinner home. We all had a great time, and my teens loved the opportunity to vote for their favorite trees of Tinseltown. Don’t be fooled by their faces below… they had a blast! I had to share this photo though because it cracks me up. Apparently my teens have forgotten how to smile thanks to wearing masks all the time. 😉
Every year, Greensboro has a holiday balloon regatta and this year to make it safe, they set things up so that people could safely drive through in cars. There was music playing, balloons lining the street, local theater actors singing, and more… I honestly got a little teary eyed as we rode through, just feeling the resilience of the human spirit.
Wilder especially loved this one, and I’ve accidentally got him saying “sun of a nutcracker” on repeat. (Please submit my name for Mother of the Year 2020.)
Holiday Craft
I came across this adorable winter snow hat garland on Apartment Therapy, and it looks SO easy to make! I think it would work through February as well since it’s more “winter” than Christmas.
@sarahliwDIY mini winter hats ##christmasdiy ##holidaytiktok ##minihats ##christmasdecor ##holidaysourway ##ornaments
Secret Santa
Me, Lindsay, Susel, Christi, Jessika, Erienne
You are never too old for a Secret Santa. I have an amazing core group of friends here that I’ve been so lucky to find. They’re the people who get me, and when I’m with them I have a true sense of belonging. We decided to do a Secret Santa, and get together out on my back patio to exchange gifts. Lindsay surprised us all with these fun t-shirts that list our names! I am posing like an idiot because I thought it would be funny to make it look like an album cover since we had to space out a bit. BTW, Lindsay was my Santa, and she also gave me some amazing peppermint and vanilla products from Erienne’s shop! (And she had no idea that anything peppermint vanilla is a favorite of mine!)
A Grand Slam Gift for Chris
Every year, Chris and I go through the same rigamarole of him not being able to come up with anything he could use or want for Christmas. Meanwhile, I hand him my 500 page dissertation on ideas to please me (slightly kidding). Anyhow, when I saw that local distillery, Fainting Goat Spirits, was coming out with their first ever bourbon release last Saturday morning, I got myself out of the house and stood in a safely spaced line for about 90 minutes to take home a bottle for him. I also grabbed him a small bottle of their Christmas whiskey as a stocking stuffer. What did I get Chris for Christmas this year? Drunk. I got him drunk.
Well, my friend, this is my holiday sign off! I wish you and your family a safe, happy and healthy holiday. 2021 is just around the corner, and while I know that things won’t change overnight on December 31/January 1, I do have a feeling that we are going to begin writing a beautiful new chapter together. Cheers to you.
