Happy this year.

Source.

New Year's Resolutions

• Spend more time outside: I am like, two steps away from becoming an actual vampire, so I think spending some time outdoors is much needed. Also, I always notice that it puts me in a good mood, and I sleep like a baby on the days I've spent outside.
• Mark the passing of the seasons: the only season I actively wait for and notice is fall. I'd like to change that. 
• Try all the things I've always wanted to do: namely, archery and fencing. But I have to wait until my stupid knee heals.
• Eat more veg and move more. Duh. 

That's it. If I write any more crap I'll just feel depressed if/when I haven't accomplished it. 

Also, I'm posting this here, more for my future reference than your amusement: 

"Around 1990, when Jim Carrey was a struggling young Canadian comic trying to make his way in Los Angeles, he drove his old Toyota up to Mulholland Drive. While sitting there looking at the city below & dreaming of his future, he wrote himself a check for $10 million, dated it Thanksgiving 1995, added the notation “for acting services rendered”, & carried it in his wallet from that day forth. The rest, as they say, is history. Carrye’s optimism & tenacity eventually paid off, & by 1995, after the huge box office success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask & Dumb & Dumber, his asking price had risen to $20 million per picture. When Carrey’s father died in 1994, he placed the $10 million check into his father’s coffin as a tribute to the man who had both started & nurtured his dreams of being a star."

-Jack Canfield, The Success Principles

I had a really nice Christmas, btw. It was nice and quiet, and just really good. I hope all of your holidays were great, and Happy New Year! 

...humbug?

I am bummed. 

(Which, for my UK readers, means I am sad, not that I was anally invaded, thankyouverymuch.)

Here's the thing. I want to whine a bit, because this is my blog. But I always feel so guilty whining, especially around the holidays, because I have so much for which to be grateful. And while I'm initially inclined to sit around and feel really sorry for myself (because poor me), there are people who have it so much worse and are so much more uplifting and nice and happy. Basically, they have a better attitude than I do. 

So. I am going to whine. A little bit. But I also want everyone to realize that I know how much worse it could be. And I am really grateful, so I will follow up my whining with a "thankful list." Is that okay?

I am bummed out because I started this Christmas season actually a little bit excited about the whole thing. Christmas is never my favorite time of year, but it seemed like everything was going pretty well. My aunt is in town to help out with my grandma, my parents' health is good, Michael is doing well...all seemed like it might shape up to be a normal Christmas (disasters of Christmasses past: emergency trip to NC on Christmas day to retrieve my ailing grandmother and bring her here to live, my dad being temporarily blinded by retinal detachment surgery, me having my wisdom teeth out, and the kicker, my grandpa passing on the 23rd). 

Then I wrecked my knee. 

Which wasn't really all that bad. I mean, it sucks, and it still hurts. But I didn't need to have surgery, so that's a good thing.

What really sucks about it is how long its taking to heal. Granted, I am two weeks out of my injury. They said it'll be about 8. I've got a LONG way to go still. But I am SO SICK of just lying around. Or going one place and being too tired out to continue running my errands and finishing my Christmas shopping. I don't like being physically frustrated when mentally, I'm ready to GO. 

This, of course, being the first year in ages that I haven't finished my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving, I ended up having to order the remaining gifts on my list online. Which is a beautiful thing. Except for when they ship you the wrong item and in order to get the correct item in time for Christmas, you have to go to the physical store anyway, which is exactly what I was trying to avoid doing in the first place. 

This has happened. Twice. I still haven't made my final return and frankly, I'm not going to. Everyone can just deal with getting the rest of their presents after New Year's. 

THEN, I got sick. So now, I am sick, coughing, sniffling, not-sleeping, and achy. And my leg is still bad. My physical therapist ripped me a new one yesterday, so I'm sorer now than I've been in a long time. THANKS, GUYS. 

So even if I could muster up the energy (and swallow enough DayQuil) to go out and finish my things, my leg's too sore. And I'm hacking up a lung. 

I went back to work for like, 2 days and it was glorious. But apparently, two days is more than my ridiculously puny system can handle, so now I'm back to invalid status. 

*sigh*

I am very patient with others. It's a good trait. But I am ruthless with myself. I am angry with myself for getting hurt in the first place. I'm mad that the injury so lowered my immune system that I got sick on top of it. I'm mad that I went into shock and wasn't braver, and as a result I'm not producing enough serotonin and I feel depressed when I should be making jokes about the irony of the situation. I'm mad that I didn't get my Christmas shopping done sooner. I'm mad I don't make more money (which would have facilitated getting shopping done sooner). I'm mad that there's still time to make sure everything is perfect, and instead, I'm in bed, looking like hell, again. I'm mad I'll miss my family's Christmas dinner tomorrow because I had a blast seeing everyone on Thanksgiving. I'm mad I had to cancel meeting up with Bethany to exchange gifts. I'm mad I haven't seen The Hobbit yet and won't until probably after New Year's.

I'm just a little miffed. 

So, that's my whiny time. I'm just bummed because I tend to be a perfectionist. I want everyone to be healthy and happy on Christmas, with the perfect presents wrapped perfectly (I skimped on wrapping this year, too, because getting down on the floor to wrap is one thing. Getting up is an epic of Beowulf proprotion.). I feel like I'm letting down my friends and family by not getting to see them, like somehow they might think I'm making things up to get out of social things, which I'm not. 

Hopefully, this cold will pass without becoming bronchitis, and I'll feel halfway decent on Christmas. 

On to the Things For Which I Am Thankful:

-That I didn't need surgery.

-For Bixby, who literally makes me smile and/or laugh every day even if I feel crappy.

-For my parents, who are nice enough to let me live with them, assure me that Christmas will continue even if I don't do ALL THE THINGS, and are helping me and taking care of me.

-For my bed. I mean, if I'm going to be stuck somewhere on and off for a month at a time, it might as well be somewhere I love, right?

-For the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings DVD's, the special features of which I've been systematically watching while I'm down and out.

-For books, for keeping me sane.

-For the friends who've stopped by and brought cards, flowers, encouraging emails and texts. You guys mean everything to me, and I'm so grateful for your love and support and well-wishes.

-For my job. Here's how you know your boss is awesome: you call her from the emergency room to let her know what happened and her first question is, "Are you there alone? Do you need me to come over there?" Seriously, I was totally morphined up, but I almost cried. Secondly, they've allowed me to do some telecommuting from home, and have basically said, "make your own schedule while you're recovering." Thirdly, every single one of my co-workers got each other Christmas gifts, even if it was just little things from the Dollar Store or homemade cookies. It's just so sweet. Fourthly, when I came in earlier this week, they had literally moved my entire desk and workspace downstairs for me so I don't have to trudge up the stairs. Seriously??? My job is amazing, and I thank God every day for the people I work with and for allowing me to be there with them.

-For Christmas. Because even if it's not the perfect, soft-focus event I imagined in my mind, we're still allowed to celebrate it however we want to or can in this country. And I'm so glad I have a savior who reminds me every once in a while to be a Mary, not a Martha, and just sit at His feet and be in His presence, especially at this time of year. And it's okay to sit, and be still, and know that He is God. 

Joyful and triumphant.

I was kind of a Scrooge with my "war on Christmas" post, so I thought I'd post some nice holiday things. 

And finally...

AHH! SO CUTE!!!!

And on that note:

Not getting to say Merry Christmas even though I'm a Christian? BOTHERED.

I'm the Queen of unpopular opinions. I just have a lot of them. I also don't care. 

This time, I want to talk about Christmas. 

Here's the deal. I am a practicing Christian (a Catholic, specifically), and I take offense to the fact that mainstream media and marketing are trying to eradicate the whole CHRIST aspect of CHRISTMAS.

This pisses me off every winter, but this year, it's a lot more prominent. I think it's because I do a lot of the PR work at the library, and I'm constantly being told to make it "less Christmassy, more holiday." 

Here's what doesn't make sense to me. I have no problem acknowledging Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, or whatever else your preferred winter holiday is. But it's a little stupid to me that we have to have "Winter Parties" and say "Happy Holidays" when Hanukkah ends on Thursday, and Kwanzaa doesn't start until December 26th. So basically, between Thursday and Christmas, the ONLY holiday that's actually actively available for well-wishing is Christmas. Unless you want to go around wishing people a Happy Solstice on the 21st, and if you do, go knock your socks off. Just expect a lot of raised eyebrows and inquisitive looks. 

I like that we live in a country where we have a wide variety of religions and their holidays. I think it's nice that we can all enjoy that freedom. That being said, this nation was founded on Christianity, and I think the Founding Fathers would have a heart attack if they saw the bastardization of the Constitution that's occurring right now. I also think that if you can't deal with the fact that the people who founded this country were what might be called "Bible thumpers," and our pledge has the word "God" in it, and our money says, "In God we trust," then you should leave. There are lots of other countries out there. Go find one that aligns with your personal beliefs. 

(SHPIEL: There's a lot of debate about the date of December 25th and "how does anyone know that's when Jesus was born?", but here's the deal. January 6th has always been celebrated as Epiphany, the day when the wise men visited. The church wanted 12 Days of Christmas (yes, like the song, I'm not making this up, go research), so they literally counted backwards and ended up at December 25th. Also, Christmas comes from the words "Christ mass" because when Christmas was officially made a holiday, there was only the Catholic church. There are a lot of different supposed reasons for the choosing of December 25th (nine months after the conception of Christ, incorporation of Sol Invictus into the church, etc.), but the date isn't important! Celebrating the incarnation of Jesus IS!)

And I get that we have to (and should!) acknowledge other religions, but I don't like it when that comes at the cost of eliminating MY religion. If everyone is going to be all "religious equality!" then how about we still acknowledge Christianity? I know they're not the minority, but we still need to acknowledge them. And the truth is, without Christians, there would be no Christmas! It's become secularized and if you want to adopt secular parts, that's fine. But you need to acknowledge that historically, there would be no Happy Holidays without Merry Christmas. 

And even the secular parts, like presents and decorating, have origins in the Christian traditions. So you can pretend to have "holidays" but you're basically wrong. And that's fine, like, if you don't want to believe that's fine. I feel sorry for you, but that's your choice. But don't just pretend like you invented everything and that Christians who want to celebrate are wrong and insensitive and all that. Because if we're all having equal rights, we have every right to say and celebrate Christmas. 

So I'll be saying Merry Christmas, and I hope you say it to me. And to my Jewish friends, I hope you're having an awesome Hannukah. I don't know anyone who celebrates Solstice or Kwanzaa, but if you do, hope they're nice. 

TLDR: I like equality, but I don't like it when that means that white people and Christianity get pooped on just because they're the majority. If you really want equality, then let's be EQUAL. 

End rant. 

Also, I hope I didn't actually offend anyone with my middle class, white girl, Christian ranting. 

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."

Thankful List

• Topping the list this year is my job. First of all, I'm glad I even have a job. Secondly, this time last year, I was worried I was going to be a secretary forever, and actually cried (tears of joy) when one of my co-workers came up to me to discuss The Secret Garden which she had recently read. I realized then (more than ever) that I needed to be working among books and with other bookish people. God heard my prayers and placed me in a job that's perfect for me, and with people I really enjoy. I'm so grateful that the Director decided to take a chance on "the coupon girl with no experience." It's changed my life!
• I'm grateful for my family, who are wonderful. Especially my Mom, who no matter what life throws at her deals with it gracefully and with dignity, and no matter how hard her own battles are, touches everyone she meets and knows with kindness and generosity. I'm grateful for my Dad, who's not only brilliant, hard-working, and generally the best guy I know, but for giving me impossibly high standards when it comes to dating guys, because I know what the best is, and won't settle for less. And for Michael, who is such a hard worker, is so smart it actually makes me sick, and is, comparatively speaking, a really good kid and great brother. 
• I'm grateful for my mom's older sister who's really stepped up and helped us out this holiday season. And for my paternal grandmother, who's like the glue who holds us all together and is always welcoming and awesome. I'm also grateful that as my cousins and I move towards adulthood, we're able to reconnect in a way we couldn't when we were little kids with years between us. Being five years older is the difference between kindergarten and 5th grade when you're little. When you're older, it totally doesn't matter anymore. 
• I'm grateful that I have a heavenly Father who loves me and forgives me, and doesn't expect me to be perfect. He just wants me to be me. 
• I'm grateful for America, and even though our we're facing difficulty, we still live in the greatest country in the world. (Mostly because I get to have a blog where I can talk about God and government and not have to worry about getting shot for it. *_~)
• I'm grateful for Bixby, Sherman, and all the animals we're blessed with on this planet, both wild and domesticated. Seriously, animals are great. ALL of them. But especially pugs and manatees and narwhals.
• I'm grateful for being relatively healthy, asthma and monthly colds aside (which are due, mostly, to the fact that I work with children, who are well-recognized germ bags. Adorable and hilarious, but germ bags nonetheless). 
• I'm actually grateful that I'm strong enough to be single in a society which tells me that I'm worthless if I don't have a guy at my side or a ring on my finger. I'd rather be happy, like I am now, and single than stuck with somebody I can't stand. 
• I'm grateful for all my friends and acquaintances, even if we just talk on Facebook, because you make me feel loved and not as weird as I think I am in my head. But I'm especially grateful for Bethany, because we met when we were 15 and we'll both be 25 this year, which means she's been my bestie for 10 years. It's really nice to have someone grow up beside you, and know all your stories so you don't have to explain it all to them. Actually, she could probably finish all my stories for me with better accuracy than I could. 
• I'm grateful for books, literacy, and imagination.
• Food. Enough said. 

I know I've missed a lot, because I have so much for which to be grateful. Thank you, if you're reading this, for being here and being awesome. And Happy Thanksgiving!

(Or, as they say in the south with the emphasis on "thanks" and no "g" at the end, THANKSgivin'!)

Operation Christmas Child

My bestie, Bethany, did the world's cutest Operation Christmas Child box:

Here's her box. Isn't it adorable??

Naturally, this inspired me to do one, too! My mom and I decided to each do one--she did a little girl and I did a little boy. Here are our boxes:

I didn't take a pic of the inside of mine because it was literally SO PACKED that if I un-rubber banded it, I think it would've exploded all over the place. 

It's so easy (and fun) to do! All you need is a shoebox, either cardboard or tupperware (we bought tupperware ones because they're reusable), and then you select if you want to make a box for a boy or a girl. The ages are 2-4, 5-9, and 10-14. Mom and I did a boy and a girl both aged 5-9.

We each got kiddie toothbrushes and toothpaste (which were on some kind of BOGO deal at Wal-Mart), little stuffed animals, crayons and coloring books, silly putty and Play-Doh, hairbrushes and combs, and washcloths. We also put in a bar of our homemade soap and little hand-written Christmas cards (apparently, if you include your address, you might hear back from the kid who gets your box!). My mom gave the little girl a jump rope and doll, and I gave my boy some Hot Wheels and dinosaurs. 

Seriously, this is the most fun Christmas shopping I've had so far this season (and I'm almost done with everyone on my list!). I think it's fun because you know you're going to literally change someone's life with the things you pack, and because you have no idea who they are, which makes it kind of fun to guess.

We did the Operation Christmas Child boxes when I was in elementary/middle school, and then for whatever reason, I didn't hear much about them in high school and college. This is the first box I've done in a while, but GOSH, they've grown their business! You can track your box online now (which is AWESOME), you can leave an address for your child to write to you, and you can even build a box online for $30, which is a really great price (even though we stocked ours with stuff from the dollar sections of Target and Wal-Mart, that stuff adds up quickly. Money well spent, though!). You have to at least check out their website, and if you don't have the time or inclination or ability to go out and physically buy all the stuff to put into a box, then I absolutely encourage you to do one online. It's so easy! There's really no excuse not to. 

Collection dates run through the 25th of November, and you can search for drop off places on the website (I know a lot of YMCA's collect them, too). 

And it's a reputable company who actually DELIVERS the boxes to children in need, so you don't have to worry about getting scammed. 

And, if you're not convinced yet, here's Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty trying (and failing) to pack a box:

It's just a great thing to do, and I encourage everyone to do it. It's going to make such a difference to a child to whom, without your help, Christmas would just be another day of the year. Please take a minute, even if you do one online, and at least think about doing a box. Or, if you are so inclined, pray for the delivery and recipients of the boxes. Prayer is free, but doing a box is just a lot of fun. I feel like this is what Christmas is really about, and even in our rough economy, we're so blessed compared to the majority of the world. Sharing what you have is probably the best thing ever, and what better time to do it than Christmas?

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Here's the website: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?

As far as I'm concerned, it's October. Like, the last five days of September don't even matter, because my favorite holiday is Halloween and I am subjected to literally three months of Christmas crap, so if I want my favorite month to start a few days sooner, so sue me. 

End rant.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite

Things That Remind Me of Fall/October

Fall perfume: I don't even know why Britney Spears's Hidden Fantasy reminds me of fall. I blame the little masquerade masks on the box. But I always break this one out on October 1st and wear it pretty religiously. Also, Bath & Body Works Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is kind of a given. 

Capes and hats (all above are from Target!). 

Dark, "vampish" lips (Revlon "Bordeaux" and Covergirl "Entwined").

Studs: love me some studs (bag from Steve Madden, boots from F21 about 3 years ago).

Classic "Halloween" movies.

Tim Burton: all of his movies have that kind of creepy vibe, but "Beetlejuice," "Nightmare Before Christmas," and "Corpse Bride" are particularly Halloweeny (I have a joke about that! Why are there so few pregnant witches? Because all the warlocks have hollow-weenies! Har har har.). Incidentally, Tim Burton leads me to my next item, which is...

Stripes: vertical work best. Horizontal stripes tend to look preppy or nautical (bag and dress from Forever 21, pants from Wet Seal).

Plaid: there's a little "90's grunge" revival happening right now, which means plaid is plentiful (and that's the only good thing about that trend). I'm particularly fond of the blue and green Black Watch tartan (and no, not just because those are the colors of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, my two favorite Hogwarts houses...but it doesn't hurt. Which leads me to...)

Harry Potter: "The Sorcerer's Stone" in particular has a very Halloween-ish feel to it. Probably because that's when the whole "TRRRROOOLLLLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" bit happened. 

And finally, the actual HALLOWEEN thing! 

Oh, and all of this set to this beautimous song (and yes, that's where they got the Dramatic Chipmunk music):

Oh, man. I just love fall and Halloween and October! One day, I will live someplace with a proper fall so I can actually WEAR a cape and a hat and sip cider while taking a hay ride through a pumpkin patch. 

Yes. 

Happy Independence Day!

Credit

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, and thank everyone who's given of themselves to make this the greatest country in the world. I am so blessed and grateful and proud to be an American. 

And now, enjoy a favorite poem of mine. 

Home of the brave.

I just really want to live in Captain America's version of America. 

Happy Memorial Day, and thanks to everyone who makes this country great, free, and worth living in. 

Literary moms.

I wanted to do a list of my favorite mothers/mother figures from literature, but decided to do a picture collage instead.

August Boatwright, The Secret Life of Bees; Charlotte, Charlotte's Web; Mrs. Bennett, Pride and Prejudice; the entire Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood; Marilla Cuthbert, Anne of Green Gables; Catherine Earnshaw, Wuthering Heights; Lily Potter, Molly Weasley, and Narcissa Malfoy, Harry Potter. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, grandmoms, aunts, dog-moms, moms-to-be, and moms-who-aren't-actually-biologically-related-but-might-as-well-be! 

Happy New Whatever.

So, it's 2013. New Year's.

I actually dislike New Year's. I wish I was one of those people who scintillates optimism at the turning of the years, but I don't. I sit there and I'm like, "Okay. I'm another year older, another year I'm still not doing all the grand and glorious things I thought I'd be doing," etc. I just get down on myself because instead of being able to see the things I DID accomplish, I tend to notice the things that still lie beyond my grasp. 

I wish I saw New Year's like this, but mostly I see it like this:

I also dislike the making of resolutions, but I'll list the things I'd like to change anyway. For posterity and all. 

• Be more forgiving. Forgiveness is a theme that's been weighing heavily on my mind, and I can't seem to escape it (went to church this morning, and BOOM. The message was forgiveness). I'm such a bitter person (my name literally means "bitter," so I can't escape that, either). I'll hold a grudge until the day I die. I still get worked up about crap that happened to me IN MY CHILDHOOD, not to mention the more recent things. So this year, I want to work on forgiving and letting go of the things that still hurt me. I won't forget. Like Mr. Darcy, "My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever," but I can work on letting go of negativity that no longer serves me, and probably never did in the first place. 
• Write. I have stories that I absolutely NEED to finish. Especially one. I've conceived every part of it except the title. And actually, it goes along a lot with the forgiveness. Writing is therapeutic, but like therapy, it's hard. Writing, particularly what I want to write, is like drawing venom from a wound. The story is boiling over, seething from every pore, and I need to get it out, no matter how unpleasant the experience may be. By this time next year, I'd like to have it finished. 
• All that stuff about being more fiscally responsible and eating better and exercising more. Who doesn't make these resolutions, though? If intention could make me thin, healthy, and rich, I'd be freaking Scarlet Johansson (without the nude pics). Alas. 

Clearly, I'm fighting with my pessimistic self. When people ask, "Are you an optimist or a pessimist?" I never really know how to answer. "Recovering pessimist" seems to work most times. But I'm relapsing on the day of the year when you're supposed to be most optimistic. Forgive me for not being all glittery and excited, but I do sincerely hope that the New Year brings all of us what we're looking for. And if it doesn't, then I hope we're at least a little enriched by the journey of searching all the same. 

Pressies!

Bethany was over the other night (!!!) and she goes, "So did you do your famous wrapping this year?" 

A. I didn't realize my wrapping was "famous." 

B. She literally wanted to LOOK at my wrapped presents. 

I thought I'd upload pics for the rest of my adoring public. :)

I went with this hipster awesome mint green wrapping paper with deer print and GLITTER. Not as fawncy as some my past efforts, but given my time (and money) constraints, I'm pleased. 

I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas, readers. I hope you're surrounded by love and the permeating hope of the season. 

Would you like some cheese with your holiday whine?

 

So, a while back I wrote a post about what I missed and didn't miss about being in school.

Let me amend that post by saying the thing, so far, that I am most upset about is the complete and utter lack of any sort of winter/holiday/Christmas break!

People prepare you for the reality of no summer break, but this just completely bums me out. I want to try and be excited for the hols, but it's almost impossible knowing that I get, literally, ONE day off, that being Christmas day. I have to work Christmas Eve and December 26th (because in the US, Boxing Day doesn't count). And I shouldn't be such a whiny, petulant child, but...

I am used to having like, a week and a half at the VERY least to just lounge about in my jammies and cozy socks, read so many books my eyes feel like they'll fall out of my head, "play" with all my new stuff (here meaning "clean out your closets and bathroom and rearrange everything" and "use ALL the new soap"), watch Christmas movies, go light-looking, drink hot chocolate like it's my job...

...and this year, I just feel like I have no time for that. This is the first time in YEARS that my shopping's not been done by Thanksgiving. I'm especially bothered that I won't have time to wrap all my presents the way I like to, and I certainly won't have time to do any wrapping for the neighbors. Just BLAH, guys. This would be a great time for me to be Scroogey, but I promised I'd try and LIKE Christmas this year, and it's just hard when you feel like Bob Cratchit. 

Look, it's my blog and I'll whine if I want to. Maybe I'll feel better now that I've aired my grievances to the internet public. My aim is to be grateful this season. I want to focus being grateful that I have a job at all when a lot of people don't, and that I have an opportunity to work when I could have nothing. Because I am grateful for those things. It's just a matter of perspective. And growing up and out of "school mode." Give me time, okay? I spent 20 years as a student, that's kind of a hard schedule to break out of in less than a year. 

Perspective, perspective, perspective....

So what I told you was true...from a certain point of view.

Deck the halls.

Last weekend, I went with a friend from work to the Winter Park Festival of Trees. It's something they do annually. Various companies and organizations decorate Christmas trees and donate them to the Orlando Museum of Art, where they're put on display. Then, at the end, the trees are auctioned off and the proceeds go to charity. It's a really nice thing, and it's so visually dazzling that I had to share (a TON of) the pics I took. It put me in the holiday spirit, and that is a no small feat.

The theme this year was Fairytale Christmas. 

One of my favorites was the Beauty and the Beast themed tree.

I couldn't get a good picture of this whole tree, but it was jam-packed with all kinds of birds!

Barbie. Of course.

 

I was also fond of the Celtic tree.

They had a rainbow cuppycake tree!

For Beth. ♥  

Disney donated a tree in honor of the new Fantasyland. It was almost entirely Beauty and the Beast! LOVE.

BOOKS.

A tree full of doggie treats!

Yep. That's a cardboard manatee ornament.

Puff the Magic Dragon.

I'm pretty sure this table was supposed to have a Snow White theme.

I love the apples, and I ADORE the idea of hand mirrors as coasters!

I loved this "Under the Sea" tree! 

Pink unicorn tree might've been my favorite.

I would just like to point out that there is a walrus AND a pirate in this tree. =D

It was a nice idea, but this tree is just creepy.

 To my delight, Alice in Wonderland was a pretty popular theme.

My favorite detail is the felt caterpillar lurking on the right.

 This was my favorite Alice tree. They had an absolutely delightful set-up with lots of neat little details.

LOVE the flamingo/hedgehog croquet!

LOVE.

They also had a section of INCREDIBLE gingerbread houses! They're too pretty to eat!

The 3 Little Pigs! Too cute!

Just look at that freaking adorable candy snail!

A very artsy "fairy dwelling" gingerbread.

Hansel and Gretel. PERFECT for a gingerbread house!

Henceforth, I think all Nativity scenes should be made from adorable marshmallow snowmen.

Had to have some wreaths, too...

Bird nest!

I really liked the sea-themed decorations! It's not something you typically associate with Christmas, but in Florida, it works.

Deck ALL the halls!

And, of course, no Winter Park event would be complete with a GIFT SHOP.

These were adorable little banners. They'd be cute in a place-setting or as part of gift-wrap, I guess.

EPICALLY AWESOME sweet shop!

They had a display there from Lydia and Pugs, who makes adorable dog-themed gifts, but I was thrilled to see the cute pug things! Aww!

Some beautiful soaps...taking note of the packaging!!

Glitter disco-deer?

 And I'm still not entirely sure what the point of this whole little mock room set-up was, but it combined stripes and plaid, so I kind of loved it.

 Doesn't it just look so cozy? WANT.



Anyway, I hope that ENORMOUS picspam gives you some inspiration for your holiday decorating. Or if nothing else, gives you something kind of pretty and seasonal to look at (also hope it didn't crash your browser! Whoops...). =]