MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

AHHHHH.

My favorite time of year!

CHRISTMAS!

I'm sitting in front of my little cozy fire with my fuzzy pink slippers on, a cup of hot cocoa in one hand, and my laptop resting on my lap.

The Christmas tree is standing tall and proud in the corner, adorned with a multitude of beautiful flickering lights and perfectly accessorized with presents peeking out the bottom (psst, i think someone *ME!* got that Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume they were eyeing at the Sephora counter! eeeep!)

Snow is falling gently outside.

HAH! I wish!

SNOW?!!

Honestly, if it snowed where I live, people would freak out. Considering this is the desert.

ALL I WANT IS A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!?!

Okay, fine. Maybe it is only Christmas Eve...

but I'm still filled with the same Holiday cheer that comes with every Christmas season!

PLUS, I got to see Tiffany yesterday!!!!

My beautiful, amazing, wonderful, fantastic best friend!

Oh how I love her so :)

We went on a "sleigh" ride through the neighborhood with hot chocolate and candy canes, singing Christmas Carols (YEAH RUDOLPH!) and looking at all the Christmas lights.

I just love this time of year so much!

The family, the friends, the overall jolliness of it all! :)

I especially love giving gifts,

I got my brother a Harry Potter DVD, my mom some bath salts and shower gels from her favorite store, my dad an antique Japanese soup bowl (he is a cook), my stepmom a cute little cream colored wrap around cardigan from Anthropologie, and Tiffany a silver heart necklace and little blue flower drop earrings. <3

I just love that feeling that you get when you see the look on the people's faces!

So... what do YOU want for Christmas? :)

I want the 5th Harry Potter book....

don't laugh.

My friend Samantha told me that I simply HAVE to read them. I guess I had never really given Harry Potter much of a chance..

but I finally did, and now I'm hooked!!!!

My favorite character is Sirius Black. Because he is a symbol of what we all have been at one time or another: judged.

Now I'm not trying to make Harry Potter seem all deep and prophetical.. but Sirius Black was judged very harshly for a crime that he did not commit, but he bore the burden anyway. One of my favorite lines of his is "I would have died rather than betray my friends." He could have chosen to give in to evil and betray those close to him, but rather he took the punishment that was not due to him and served it with a clean conscience. And I think that's pretty cool :)

So, now, in honor of Christmas, I am going to delight you with a medley of holiday pictures:

Thanks for the pictures www.weheartit.com!

Now, to all of you, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year <3

xoxo,