Christmas Eve!

I’m back in New York for the holidays, and this past weekend could not have been more perfect. For me, the holidays are all about unwinding, spending quality time with family, and enjoying the simple things. I was able to sleep in this weekend, and I spent most of my time in my red plaid pajamas being lazy. Always a good plan!

My mom and I baked Christmas cookies on Saturday afternoon for about three hours. The house smelled amazing. We filled up lots of plates with delicious butter cookies and gingerbread men and then relaxed in the kitchen, sipping our spiced tea and nibbling on gingerbread. Yum. I look forward to baking our special butter cookies every year. I know that I can technically make them whenever I want, but since I always associate them with Christmas, I like to savor them during this time of the year. I think they just taste better when it's cold outside. :)

My parents’ cats were also being extremely cute. They love the Christmas tree, and they took turns napping underneath it. Not a bad life, right? (Also not too different from what I was doing, curled up on the couch!) I also dug out  a few of their toys that had gone missing underneath the TV stand, and I think they were ecstatic to have “new” playthings. It’s amazing how a fuzzy toy mouse can make them so happy!

The hubs got in on Sunday night, and our plan today is to go into town to get a few gifts for family, and then just relax until we head to my grandmother’s for Christmas Eve. Then tomorrow we are bound for Connecticut for more Christmas festivities, and then we’ll be back in DC the next day! It’s a bummer that we can’t spend more time in New York, but work beckons. Even if it the time was too brief, I'm still making sure to enjoy my time here and making the holiday a wonderful time for family. :)

How are others spending the holiday weekend? Any special plans?