Can you believe how quickly time is passing? It seems that only yesterday, December was beginning, and now, it is almost Christmas. It is just a few short days away. No matter how much I try to prepare, start early, and get ahead...it seems that time always speeds up around this time of year. That is why I like to stop and think about what really matters. About all the things that fill my heart with warmth. Last year, I started a little notebook where I jotted down all of the wonderful things that happened around the holiday season. It also included a few of my favourite traditions. So today, I wanted to share those traditions with you. These are the things that I love and look forward to each and every year.

Everyone has a tradition or two that they share with friends and family around the holidays. It might have to do with a movie or a certain type of food. It might relate to an activity or something you wear. There are so many types of holiday traditions....and each one is special. These are a few of my personal favourites.

• Drinking white hot chocolate while my husband and I drive around looking at all of the Christmas lights.
• Watching "Christmas With the Kranks" with my mom. And Doug's Secret Christmas with my brother. 
• Opening up an advent calendar....and pressing the button on my singing advent bear.
• Wearing as many ugly Christmas sweaters as humanly possible.
• Baking with my mom on Christmas Eve. Decorating the gingerbread house (or gingerbread lean-to as we lovingly refer to it as), making cookies, and ordering pizza for dinner.
• Decorating the apartment....and transforming it into a winter wonderland while listening to John Denver on the record player.
• Watching holiday movies with that warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach.