from pumpkin spice to peppermint mocha

it's officially that time of year again. no one can complain that it's too early anymore. even though i started early i've moved into slightly panicked, gift-buying mode. i know it's not quite december, but even still i will most likely not be at home for 2 of the 3 weekends preceding christmas which means my stress levels have about tripled.

i'll admit it's not the best way to start the season of "peace on earth, goodwill towards men." however, it's the hand we've been dealt, so all i can say is, c'est la vie.

at this point i think i'm down to stocking stuffers for my husband's gifts, and at least have ideas for almost everyone - save one or two toughies. the thing is, i love giving gifts. i love love love finding the perfect gift for someone, and it's unbelievably annoying to me when i simply cannot find anything that i think he/she would actually really like. i hate getting gifts that don't really mean anything. i hate it when it's simply an exchange of money in the form of "goods" as opposed to a heartfelt, "this made me think of you and i know you'll love it" gift.

i digress.

one happiness in all of the craziness is that i now permit myself to move from one delicious flavor in my coffee to another. pumpkin spice has officially been retired for the season, and i've moved on to peppermint mocha. while i LOVE pumpkin, and make no promises to no longer get a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks, starting my day with peppermint mocha flavored coffee gives me a jolt of christmas to [hopefully] start me off on the right foot.

all that to say:

come thou long-awaited child. we need you more than ever.

{via peaceabovestorm.org}

joy to the world

the LORD is come

let earth receive her king!

let every heart prepare him room

and heaven and nature sing.

and heaven and nature sing.

and heav'n

and heav'n

and nature sing!

merry christmas season to you!

xoxo