Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas is so close! The decorations are up, cookie parties and caroling are in full swing... but it just doesn't feel quite like Christmas. I think some snow would help. We're just a little too close to the lake. There is snow a little further up the mountains, but I want it here. I was talking to a friend last night who spent a lot of his childhood in Wisconsin, and we talked about how we missed waking up to a blanket of fresh snow.

My Swiss family did a lovely job of decorating the house for Christmas, there are twinkle lights and little Santas everywhere. The tree is up, fully trimmed, but it's a "theme tree". Ugh. My mother will be laughing and saying "ha ha" like Nelson from The Simpsons as she reads this. I really, really don't like theme trees. And while I know a lot of people love having all the same colors, all matching ornaments - a general theme, if you will - I just don't like it. I love Christmas trees that are full of crazy ornaments that have been passed down through generations, ornaments made by children with popsicle sticks and copious amounts of glue, and not perfect and matchy-matchy, but rather reflective of the family's personality. My mom is probably laughing, because one year she put up a theme tree, and it was very, very pretty, but when I walked through the door after coming home from university, I threw a fit, and pouted about it like the mature adult that I am. I guess I deserve a theme tree. Sorry Mom.

Is it silly to say I miss my Christmas stuff? Last year, I worked at a Christmas store, and amassed huge amounts of Old World Christmas ornaments, Clothtique Santas, and even a Jim Shore Santa. Actually, go check out my former employer's webpage, and buy something from them, because it's a family business, run by three amazing, incredible sisters. Go here to check it out. Anyway, I miss my Christmas stuff, as silly as it sounds.

Do I need to mention I will miss my family? Can't that go without saying? This will be my first Christmas spent away from my parents in my entire 26 years of life. I will be with family, so it will be wonderful, but I'm still a little sad that I will be away from my parents, my brother and sis-in-law, and especially my cousin Sarah, because she's my best friend/sister/heart and I love her.

It's a year of changes, I guess. But change is healthy, and while not always welcome, it's important.