Happy December!

Happy December 1st!

I don't know where you live, but here in Raleigh it's a sunny 70 degrees. Go figure.

Nonetheless, the last month in 2012 has arrived with it's Christmas cheer, holiday shopping, and twinkle lights on every corner.

December is quite possibly my second favorite month (second to October, of course).

Here's a random list of what I look forward to this month:

1. Christmas. I figured I wouldn't hold you in suspense of the completely obvious. Christmas is absolutely my favorite holiday. What a special day of remembering what Jesus did for us and celebrating the day God came to earth. I love waking up with Aaron early on Christmas morning (I can't sleep past 5:30 on Christmas. Ever.). The very first thing we do when we go downstairs is read the Christmas story. Our tradition since we got married has been to read it from the Jesus Storybook Bible. I love the whole thing and cry the whole time, but here's one of my favorite parts:  "[The shepherds] knelt on the dirt floor. They had heard about this Promised Child, and now he was here. Heaven's Son. The Maker of the Stars. A baby sleeping in his mother's arms. This baby would be like that bright star shining in the sky that night. A Light to light up the whole world. Chasing away darkness. Helping people to see. And the darker the night got, the brighter the star would shine." After Aaron and I have Christmas morning together, we head to my parents, followed by his parents, and then everyone meets up for a Christmas movie.
2. Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is actually a little more exciting than Christmas, I think. I still get giddy with excitement thinking of what the next day brings. I love the anticipation of the night before Christmas. Christmas Eve traditions include egg nog and Ralphie, of course.
3. FX.  FX is this coming Friday. It's a special Christmas FX and will no doubt be amazing. If you are a parent of a K5-5th grader, don't miss it! Friday, 12/7, 7pm at 3500 Spring Forest Road.
4. The Dark Knight Rises. We have been waiting for this for a few months now. We are pretty big Batman fans around here, if you haven't caught on to that yet. We went to see TDKR four times when it was in IMAX. My husband will be buying it without delay when it comes out on Tuesday.
5. Friends and family. The holiday season would be totally lame if you weren't with people you care about. We have quite a few dates with some dear friends and family. Up on the list for this month are Matt and Magan, Justin and Katelin, and Ryan and Aura. At the end of the month, we are hosting the second annual Christmas party for my group of friends from high school/their significant others.
6. Bittersweet end of work. While finishing up as a nanny is very sad for me since I won't be seeing my sweet boys on a consistent basis anymore, I am excited for this new season Aaron and I are entering. I only have 15 more days of work left, and they are flying by. Like I said, this one is bittersweet.
7. New Year's Eve. Saying goodbye to a year gone by and ringing in a new one is always a fun time. We like to go downtown to watch the ever-exciting acorn drop. This year, my Florida grandparents are coming to town for NYE, so that will be super exciting indeed.

Well, folks, it's bound to be a busy month! I have not even started shopping and do not look forward to that. Ah well. 

Happy December. :)