(artwork: lesik aleksandr)

i DO love the holidays and thank goodness because we do them ALL: thankgiving, sinterklaas, hanukkah, my birthday (i DON’T love this one as much!), christmas and new years. i love baking the cookies, making the gingerbreads, lighting the candles, driving around to see the lights, putting out our clogs, decorating the tree, hanging the stockings, eating the latkes (i DON’T like making them - too messy!), hiding the shelf elves and their reindeer friend, going to the parties, delivering the cookies, sending the holiday cards (although this is always a loaded task!) receiving the holiday cards (much more FUN!), giving the gifts, enjoying my mother’s sticky buns, finding out who got the monkey and spending time with family. but i am always EXHAUSTED by the time we get to january and so grateful to bunker down and have a super quiet month (after i have VACUUMED up all the pine needles, which is my absolute favorite post-christmas task.) wishing you all a quiet, restful month with lots of sleep and TV! (my recent favorites: lessons in chemistry, black cake and the gilded age.) x0x0xx

(thanksgiving with my grandma’s famous turkey plates)

(the candy, clogs and cookies of sinterklaas)

(theo lighting the hanukkah candles when he was a peapod)

(hank is front and center even on our tree!)

(EVERYONE is growing up around here - dave, our elf has been sporting a tito’s sweater (that theo gave him - we had to google if he would lose his magic if theo dressed him) and hiding out on top of the hood with his girlfriend, holly. i am not sure if they are even watching my kids for naughty behavior!)