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Christmas fever


How early is too early to celebrate Christmas? I’ve never had a strong opinion on the subject, but this year I am ready NOW (November 11th). I have “Christmas fever”. As soon as the clocks changed back for Daylight Savings last weekend my mood was immediately altered. I hate the dark and feeling like I should go to bed at 6pm, it sucks the energy out of me. I crave Christmas cookies and covering everything in tinsel when the chilly weather arrives! It reminds me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

My sister and I decorated my tree at my apartment this weekend, embracing the Christmas fever. I’ve never had a full size tree that was all mine, decorated exactly how I like it, maybe that has contributed to my early festive spirits? This has been one of the more fun parts of adulting.

I decided to go with a winter wonderland blue theme for my tree -because it’s not the traditional red and green I think it really feels as though it’s okay to have it set up so early. We also got our first sprinkling of snow this week, which I wasn’t thrilled to see, but that’s a sign to decorate right?!

At my parents’ house we always cut down the tree ourselves or bought a real one from the boy scouts about 2 weeks before the holiday. It seemed like too long to wait in my opinion and they still wanted it down by New Years Day -___- Real trees can have a lot of maintenance with the watering and shedding of needles, but they smell so good! This year I’m using an evergreen candle, but that’s okay. By using a fake tree with flocking (aka fake snow allllll over it) I can keep it up for as long as I want with little thought. Last year at work I may have gone a little overboard with my tiny fake pink tree at work -I decorated it for Valentines Day, St. Patricks Day, Easter and Spring just because I could.

Christmas means there are a surplus of blog posts on gift guides and festive outfits out there, yet I still seem to struggle with what to get people! I know I need to start buying and planning now since I want to give thoughtful presents.. this time of year just goes by so quickly! I can’t believe it’s less than two weeks to Thanksgiving. Do you ask people directly for gift ideas for themselves? It takes some of the fun out of it for me if I ask, but it’s better to get someone something they will actually appreciate rather than another “knick knack” I guess. Time to curl up with a cappuccino, put on my elf hat and plan! The tree is up and Christmas fever definitely came early for me this year.

Apartment Hunting With Allison


I am a bit HGTV obsessed. Although I probably wouldn’t partake in the manual labor involved in renovating, I love living vicariously through rehab shows. Flip or Flop and Property Brothers are immensely addicting.. especially when you don’t have a space of your own to design and re-design… Let me clarify; I do have a bedroom, but my car is really the only space that I consider entirely mine. And I am hoping to change that within the next year when I begin apartment or house hunting.

 

The only issue that I tend to find with the DIY Network/HGTV-esque shows are that my expectations in real life for my money are exceedingly high. My budget also isn’t $4.1 million and I am not a part time MMA fighter and my significant other isn’t an underwater basket weaver, but sometimes these programs make me feel like that is my life -whoops. I don’t tend to think I have that high of standards until I see pictures of an apartment without a clawfoot bathtub, built ins and crown molding, but rather with puke green shag carpeting and free bugs. Ugh. I’ll admit it; watching these shows may have made me a real estate agent’s nightmare, but when I eventually move into a new place it’s going to be completely worth it.

Who would have thought it would be so hard to find a property for my hypothetical bulldog? French or English, I’m flexible.. but the struggle in housing is all the same. I’m sure Tad (named after the guy with the man bun on HGTV’s Good Bones) would be incredibly well behaved.

 

So the reality is that most of my furniture starting off will probably be second hand and despite my best efforts there probably won’t be accent colors of rose gold and peach throughout my entire house. I can accept that I may not have a fainting chair/chaise in my study, next to my bar cart stocked with glass decanters of Tanqueray and Hendricks gin tomorrow. But do you know how successful and badass I will feel when I finally do?

I already have the pineapple^.