I love holidays. Always have.
That's part of what makes winter so bearable -- you go from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's to Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day to Easter to Memorial Day. Each one gives you a theme to decorate with and most give you something joyous for which you can look forward.
This Christmas I'm behind. I'm behind on my decorating and I'm behind on my shopping. Usually I'm right on the decorations the day after Thanksgiving and by Thanksgiving weekend I've made a big dent in my shopping. This year I just put ornaments on the tree last night and put a few other decorations up, and I don't think I'm even halfway done with my shopping.
But, on the other hand, I feel more festive than ever before. I'm so excited about Christmas and it's because of Autumn. For the first time ever, I put up lights outside of my house and I helped a coworker decorate our department at work. At home, I placed certain nonbreakable ornaments on the tree in places where Autumn could see them and be excited. I know she loves Mickey, so it's within her reach. I love turning on the tree lights or the lights in the window for her and hear her say "lights!" At Halloween, she'd ask us to turn on the orange lights if we didn't have them on already.
I can't wait to fill her stocking (even if I haven't bought anything to fill it with yet) or bring her to the office kids' Christmas party. I want to see her on Christmas morning and I want to see her all the other days. I want to bake cookies and let her help me decorate them. And, although I must be insane, I want to sit down and eat those cookies with her, frosting and all, while sipping milk. I want to share Christmas carols with her. I want to watch her rip open wrapping paper that her grandmas carefully put on the presents. I want to take lots of pictures.
I just feel so much more into the holiday this year, even if there's not a whole lot, outwardly at least, that I'm doing different from any other year. But this year I have a different purpose: I'm doing it all for Autumn.