I'm looking forward to...

CHRISTMAS EVE.

this is the day that we celebrate with my entire family. we start the day off at my dad's house, cooking a big meal all day... it's complete chaos with everyone in the kitchen and kids running around, and I love it. we eat our big dinner there, and then play our steal-a-gift-game. it's always fun because we all have a good sense of humor, and the gifts are usually hilarious. 

from there, we head to my aunt's house on my mom's side and spend time with family there. the crowd is a little older, so it's nice to have some more adult interaction for a few hours. we play another round of the gift game at this location, and there are WAY more people that participate (my mom has 5 siblings, and each aunt/uncle has at least two children) so it's a riot. 

 Christmas Eve 2009

I love being able to catch up and socialize with close family on my mom's side. we always have funny stories to tell about her, and it allows me to remember her during the holidays from a different perspective. 

Christmas Eve is also when Sean & I open our gifts to each other. we are horrible when it comes to waiting... we can never stand to wait until the appropriate day to give gifts, so we cheat and open them a day early. this is what happens when you become an adult... you can do whatever the hell you want to do. :)

___________________________________

CHRISTMAS DAY. 

another day of running around, but a good one, none the less. we drive over to my dad's again in the morning to open gifts and give our gifts to family (which includes a dad, three brothers, a dad's girlfriend and her two kids). we usually eat breakfast over there and hang out for a little bit while the kids play with their new toys. now that my little brother is old enough to enjoy the holidays, it's fun to witness him opening gifts and getting excited. 

 Christmas 2009

this year, we're spending Christmas evening with Sean's family. we'll head over there in afternoon and exchange gifts and have dinner with his family. his aunt, uncle, and cousins are coming in from out of town, so it'll be great to see them. we haven't seen some of them since the wedding! 

___________________________________

CANDY CANE BARK. 

I grocery shopped last night and bought all the ingredients to make some peppermint bark... but instead of little mints, I'm going to use candy canes! I'm really excited, since I don't normally make anything special for the holidays... or any other occasion for that matter. the good thing is that it's a no-bake treat, so it should be easy peasy. I bought ingredients to make it with milk chocolate AND white chocolate, so we'll see how it goes!

if you'd like to make some yourself, check out the recipe right here.  

 NOM.

___________________________________

NEW YEAR. 

we don't have plans for New Year's Eve yet, but I know that we'll have fun either way. I'm excited that we'll actually be spending NYE together this year, because Sean was working the night shift last year. I'm looking forward to a new year and setting new goals for myself and for us. 

 New Year's Eve 2007

___________________________________

SECRET SANTA/UGLY SWEATER PARTY. 

it's our fourth annual Secret Santa party, and this year, we're adding the ugly sweater twist to it as well. all of our friends gather together for one whole day. the ladies usually spend the afternoon cooking a big holiday meal while the guys sit around and bullshit all day. we make a HUGE meal, consisting of turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc - basically, your typical Thanksgiving meal.

source

after we eat, we participate in a gift exchange and then spend the evening drinking and enjoying each others' company. the gift exchange usually includes several bottles of alcohol, so it's interesting to see what'll be passed around through people. it's always a LOT of fun to get everyone together, and I think the ugly Christmas sweaters will be a huge hit this year.

___________________________________

NESTIE GTGS. 

super duper excited for this one. I've been a frequent poster on my wedding month message board on The Knot/The Nest since August of 2008. needless to say, I've become friends with quite a few of the ladies on our board. we've shared a lot of good (and bad) times together and we've become family. unfortunately, I've never had the opportunity to meet any of them... until now. 

two of my faves, Krystyna and Tara, are coming to the DC area to visit with family and friends during the month of January (not at the same time, boo). I'm really looking forward to meeting up with them (and some other local ladies from DC/NoVA) and getting to know them in person, as opposed to over a message board. I'll get to meet Krystyna on the 1st, and Tara on the 15th. I'm SO excited! SQUEE!

___________________________________

BLOGIVERSARY. 

can you believe it? on January 19th, I will have been a blogger for exactly ONE YEAR. amazing. I've loved being involved in the blogging community and I'm proud to say that I've met some wonderful people in doing so. it's such a joy to be part of such an elite group of people, and I look forward to meeting many more in the future. I'm thinking of hosting another giveaway, so make sure you check in around the middle of next month! 

 source

___________________________________