Favorite Holiday Things!

Brett and I have been really into this whole holiday thing this year. We've been decorating, singing (or at least trying to sing) Christmas carols, and playing into all the cheesy holiday traditions. I don't think I've ever been this excited about the holiday season in my entire adult life! It's great feeling this way, though. When you first start living on your own or with other people that aren't family, you get to create your own holiday traditions to practice each year! Because I'm feeling so festive, I thought I'd share some of my favorite holiday things!

1. Lights!

Who doesn't love when the streets light up with twinkly lights? Everything just looks so much more magical this time of year. Because I'm usually hunkered down inside working as of late, we hung up hundreds of lights inside our apartment this year, so we can still feel the magic even when we're forced to stay home!

2. Tacky Holiday Sweaters

To be honest, I've never participated in any sort of tacky/ugly sweater event during the holiday season, but I've ALWAYS wanted to. This year I made it a point to have several occasions to wear some sort of hilariously horrible holiday sweater - the Happy Holidays Half MerryThon on Sunday, myoffice's holiday celebration next week, and LudaChristmas (the Christmas party that Brett and I are hosting. Yes, we stole the name from 30 Rock)! I picked out a nice kelly green sweater yesterday and I am SO PUMPED to wear it!

3. Egg Nog & Other Holiday Goodies

Of course, one of the best (if not the best) part of the holiday season is all of the delicious treats that come along with it! We bought our first carton of egg nog last night and practically chugged the whole thing - YUM. I have no shame when it comes to eating during this time of year. You're just adding to your winter coat! (And it helps that I continue to work out during the holiday season - it's all the more excuse to eat like a pig!) ;)

4. Holiday Movies

Nothing beats cozying under a warm blanket with a mug of hot cocoa and your favorite Christmas flick on the TV! My personal favorites are Elf, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (video above). What are yours?

5. Get Togethers with Family, Friends, and Co-Workers

Sometimes I wonder how often I would get together with all of my friends and family if the holiday season didn't exist. With how busy the year can be, work and other obligations kind of take priority over making the effort to get everyone in one place to enjoy each others' company. I'm glad that it's the time of year where everyone makes time for each other and you get to reconnect with those that you may not see too often throughout the year!

What are your favorite things about the holidays?