Ready, Set to Celebrate!

So, here we are, in November. Which of course means that the countdown to the holidays has begun. From now until the first of the year, it will be all about the holidays in one form or another. However, this year, I'll be doing a down-sized version of the holidays for a couple of reasons.

First, Thanksgiving is going to be a one day affair instead of the usual two-day celebration it has been for the past seven years which was when my mother-in-law moved to Washington. We have always had a bursting-at-the seams Thanksgiving at my sister's house. So with the arrival of my mother-in-law, we decided to do Thanksgiving all over again on Friday for her and various friends. By the end of the weekend, I was always exhausted and mainly feeling thankful to be heading back to work. But my mother-in-law moved East last December, so this year, it's a one-shot celebration....which has me celebrating!

I've always loved to decorate for Christmas. But for the past few years, the process has become overwhelming. However, this year, it will just be my husband and I in our home since our daughter is in Russia and won't be here for the holidays. So, I've decided to be very selective with my decorating. I still want my house to have the holiday spirit, but I'm going to simplify! I'm not sure what that will look like. But I'm feeling good about being able to focus on celebrating Christmas rather than stressing over what my house looks like.

So this year, with the arrival of November, I am looking forward to the holidays. I am ready, set to celebrate!