holiday traditions

In my family we have a few holiday traditions I will never forget.

1. Receiving my Grandma's handmade stockings. Even though my Momma is no longer with us, her stockings will always be a part of our holidays as we lay them out and fill them up with candy like she used to.

2. Seeing the Nutcracker ballet

3. Wearing new festive pajamas on Christmas eve

4. Our Santa Sorting hat as we passed presents out to everyone in our family.

5. Buying a new ornament for every year. I meant to get an ornament for my Mom from my big move this year... I suppose I have to wait until after the holidays.

Gifts from the heart

Tonight,  a friend and I reflected on what it means to give. We have been taught to share what has been provided for us, and expect nothing in return.

When I came home, I had  trouble sleeping. I set on a mission to make all of my gifts this year mean something more than their monetary value or a simple exchange of more "stuff". Some would say that its the thought behind the present but I want the intention to be clear- to bring joy.

This year, I will write my family letters of gratitude for the amazing memories we've made through the years. The money I would spend on gifts, has gone toward providing a Christmas feast for my little mentee's family. They often skips meals to make ends meet and I have had the opportunity of knowing what Christmas miracles can be shared over a good meal. I purchased a gift card to our local grocer, stuck it into a Christmas card and slipped it under their door. I hope it brings them a little more holiday cheer this year.

with gratitude,

 
I am a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to Thank you notes, or notes of any kind. I wrote a super long, heartfelt thank you note today...which is one of my favorite things to do, and I had to rewrite it three times due to little knicks, mis-spelled words, etc. The last one was virtually flawless...I just wish I could write in cursive. (a true sign of my generation) The lovely thank you card above can be found on etsy.com

I see you!

I can see clearly now...that my glasses are bigger. I just got a new pair of glasses- and they were free! I "tried them on" via a picture I uploaded and they would place the dimensions of the glasses on to my face according to the dimensions of the picture. It was pretty cool. And while I was skeptical that it was an accurate depiction of what the glasses might look like (I tried them on at least 10 different pictures by the way)...THEY LOOK GREAT! I've even received compliments on them. They also make me look very European, or hipster, apparently. While I get many questions about my ethnicity...now people are asking if I'm from France. Interesting.
They make me feel a lot more confident now that I can see everything and while they are bigger and more obvious of an accessory...I think they suit who I am for now. I like 'em.

Quirky things..

I always carry a book and/or magazine with me- everywhere. I have all the intentions of reading one or both of them and usually don't get to it. Currently, I have been carrying the book The Power of Now and the latest Glamour magazine (with Anne Hathaway looking FABULOUS) around with me on my errands.

I love documentaries. Today I had a day off and not only did I sleep all day -which never happens but was blissful in every way- but I watched two documentaries on Netflix. Its always so fun.

I also love anything from the 80s. I watched Flashdance for the first time the other day and LOVED IT. Truly a classic and a gem of its time.

Foreign movies are the best kind of movies. My favorite movie continues to be Pan's Labryinth but currently I'm watching a French Movie called Elles about a french journalist who befriends prosititutes...it should be a good one.

I love to travel...anywhere. I want to help people while doing so, and meanwhile observe, absorb and be a part of their cultures.

Learning new languages excites me especially when I do so while devouring yummy food.

p.s. I'm a foodie at heart.