It’s the Most Wonderfully Stressful Time of the Year!

First off I promise to blog more, but as today’s title suggests December is a wonderfully stressful time for me. Why wonderfully stressful? Does that even make sense? Let me explain. I love the holidays and everything that goes along with it – seeing family, the parties, the food, the gifts, the decorations, etc. However that also means traveling, planning, cooking, spending money, and dragging up boxes from the basement. See what I mean? Wonderful, but stressful.

Here are a few things that help me enjoy the holiday season without getting too overwhelmed:

1. Make a list and check it twice. Santa was on to something here. Lists help me all year round, but especially at Christmas. I had a checklist of things to get done around the house before we had our family over which included chores and a cooking schedule. This helped to keep me on track and made our Christmas Family Dinner actually enjoyable because I wasn’t stuck in the kitchen the whole time or scrambling last minute to clean the bathroom.
2. Get help. I wasn’t scrambling last minute to clean the bathroom because Bryan was scrambling last minute to clean the bathroom. He also carried all the Christmas boxes up from the basement. Even Santa has helpers. And yes, that’s me saying that Bryan is my elf. Ho ho ho.
3. Don’t spread yourself too thin. We have really tried to see all of our family around the holidays, but stopped killing ourselves trying to see everyone on one day. No more driving for six hours. This year we spread things out and really got to see and spend time with our families because we weren’t running out the door trying to get to the next house. It’s hard to be this popular.
4. Christmas=Memories=Tears=Note to self to buy stock in Kleenex (Who am I kidding I buy the generic stuff because who can spend that much money to blow their nose?? Maybe someday...) Putting up Christmas decorations is a little bittersweet for me since my Mom passed away two years ago. It’s unrealistic to think that I won’t be sad when I put these decorations up, which is why I spend the evening taking my time to decorate our tree and to remember my Mom. 
5. Start your own traditions. Two years ago, Bryan and I started hosting a pre-Christmas dinner for our immediate family to celebrate the holiday at our home.

One of my Mom's ornaments. We always used to try to get the light to fit in the bottom window so it looked like they were open.

My elf at work.

Pre-Christmas Dinner Table

Our very own Christmas tradition of embarrassing Poe every year.

Amy Sherman-Palladino for Mayor

I didn’t discover the show Gilmore Girls until college. Then Bunheads was ripped from my TV lineup (at the same time that Pretty Little Liars was renewed for a 5^th season). Is it too much to ask for a girl to get her fill of small-town charm, crazy festivals, and lovable local establishments?? Thank goodness I live in a village that is borderline Stars Hollow.

This past weekend Forest Park went full-on Winter Wonderland complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus on motorcycles, tree lighting, s’mores, and live window displays.

Downtown Oak Park also hosted a Winterfest/Cookie Walk. For $20 you got a giant red tin and a list of all the businesses that were ‘Cookie Walk Participants.’ Think Trick-or-Treating for adults who are too lazy to dress up in October but are still craving sugar two months later.

If you didn’t attend Forest Park’s Holiday Walk or Oak Park's Winterfest this year, put it on your 2014 Winter Bucket List because these are must-attend events if you live anywhere close to here.

 They pulled up in a fire truck and then the cops let them sit on their motorcycles. Does this happen in real life?

Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor recreates Candy Land!

 This was my favorite window display by Todd & Holland. The characters were music box figurines. You can see the little girls winding them up here. Check out the video below:

And then we made a little stop at the North Pole (aka - right outside of Todd & Holland) to see a reindeer.

This wasn't a live window display, but Yearbook always designs the best windows year round. They were also selling these giant bottles of real maple syrup. If I had an extra $65 I would have definitely bought that and maybe just sipped from the bottle all year long. Just kidding. It probably wouldn't take a year.

Another great window at deedee & edee. The picture doesn't really do the scene justice. There were pugs-galore here, all with knights strapped to their backs trying to "save" the (cross dressing) princess. There was also a guy dressed up in a dragon suit outside the window helping people into the store. I didn't get the whole thing (knights saving the princess - trying to fight off the dragon) because the dogs were just too dang cute and distracting. Points for creativity!

And then Winterfest in Oak Park:

Live music as you're shopping? Yes, please.

Here are all the cookies we got. We hit up almost every place except maybe a few that were closed when we got there.