Last year on the 1st of December I wrote this post all about the things I was looking forward to in December, like my birthday, a trip to Edinburgh with my bestie and my 3 year anniversary with David, among other more Christmassy things.
So this year, when I sat down to write this post for the 1st of December, I figured I would do something along the same lines because it's fun, but try & change it up a wee bit from last year, while still covering all of the things that I love about December and the run up to Christmas!
So, here we go!
1 - The Festivity
I love the festive buzz that descends over everything in December, although this year it seems to have started way back at the beginning of November for a lot of people!
But I love the atmosphere that Christmas brings out;
of people being generous to family & loved ones,
of cheerfulness & joy as we meet up with friends we haven't seen in a while,
and the general buzz of activity that towns are filled with,
complemented by Christmas music
(although I do have a love/hate relationship with it),
twinkling lights & frosty air!
Everyone you come across seems so much happier than at any other time of year & I love it!
2 - The Chill
Now, I may complain about how cold it is when I'm in work all the time,
but that isn't the kind of chill that I mean!
I mean the kind of chill when you're walking through town, picking up gifts for your loved ones,
you're wrapped up snug in a huge scarf, with a bobble hat & a pair of gloves on
and somehow you can still feel the bite of the wind through all of your layers.
I love that kind of chill because even though I can still feel the cold, I can also feel how well wrapped up I am, & I'm 99% likely to be dreaming of a coffee shop break (or several!) so I'll be looking forward to warming up with a festive beverage!
3 - My Birthday
I mean, obviously I had to include this because who doesn't love their birthday?
Some people think it's annoying to have a birthday in the same month as Christmas,
but I don't actually mind it! Maybe that's because it's pretty early-on in December, so it doesn't actually feel all that close to Christmas?
I feel like I should say though, that I don't speak on behalf of my family/friends/boyf
who have to buy two sets of gifts in the one month...lol sorry!
However, this year I turn 26 (boke, I'm actually an actual adult!) and that feels really weird.
26 feels properly old, and mentally I do not feel properly old, so that's fun.
But birthdays are always a great time, I have stretched my celebrations out over a whole weekend
so I can't wait for the fun times!
4 - Gift Shopping
Okay, this is another love/hate kinda thing, because I love shopping for Christmas gifts,
but only really when I know what I want to get someone, or I have a vague idea of what that person would like, or if I have a full on list of possible gift ideas for all of the people...
Going shopping with zero inspiration or no ideas in mind at all is
possibly one of the worst things ever.
But I love buying gifts for other people,
spending time thinking about the kind of presents that they would like,
making a little gift hamper of sorts, and wrapping it up all nice & pretty.
I don't actually have that many people to buy for, which means that I can put more effort into the gifts that I do get to buy!
5 - Carol Services
Every year my church has a carol service called Carols By Candlelight,
and it's one of my favourite services of the whole year!
I know that Christmas hymns/carols can get pretty repetitive
because we sing the same ones year in & year out,
but Carols By Candlelight is always so beautiful, & I look forward to it every year!
The church is decorated with (probably...) hundreds of candles which gives it this lovely,
cosy, special atmosphere, and we sing beautiful Christmas carols,
hear lovely solos and read verses from the story of Jesus' birth.
6 - Our Anniversary
This December marks the 4th year of my relationship with David.
I can't get my head around the fact that we have been together for that long now, it's so crazy!
I think I say this every year, but on one hand it doesn't feel like it's been that long,
and on the other hand it feels like we've been together forever!
I'm so thankful that I get to share my life with someone who knows me better than
I know myself, and I'm so excited for our future together!
7 - The Meaning of Christmas
I think it's pretty obvious that I love everything to do with Christmas, from the decorations,
to the gift-giving, to the movies but I also love the meaning of Christmas,
which is to celebrate the birth of Jesus!
It's so easy to forget in the midst of all the hustle & bustle, that Christmas is about the Son of God being born into this world
as a human baby, in the most vulnerable way possible.
I love that this time of year reminds me of that.
It reminds me that Gods love for us all is so vast, that he literally put his life in our hands,
so that He could save us further on down the line.
He came into this world as a baby, fully reliant on his parents to care for him & look after him,
all with the cross as his end goal.
What a Saviour!
What do you enjoy most about December?!
❤
