Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year....

Ok, I am starting my blog off with a very hackneyed statement - “Its the most wonderful time of the year...”.

This truly does have a great sense to it when you are on the north hemisphere -doesn’t it?

Of course, the southern hemisphere can’t even imagine this one at least this time of the year - lol after all they are going topsy-turvy(kinda!).

A few weeks ago I and my husband were talking about how winter is setting in and he has started to feel iffy and the day light savings made it even worse. Well this is a saga that we discuss every year and he would mention how much he would want to go back and settle down in India. - Seriously, Do you really want to pull that thread? - and this opens a can of worms where the discussion turns into a heated argument and then “Lambi Khamoshi...” I mean the silent treatment ;)

There is a good reason its called “Happy Holidays”.

I think I am in a fat city. Over the years I have tried to tailor my living and ensure to get the best out of it. In fact its this time of the year I do look forward to.

I get so excited trading my wardrobe with winter clothes and accessories (My winter clothes, caps, mufflers, jackets, thermals) for the summer ones. I run a whole gamut of fashion emotions ;).

The strong yearning for a “White Christmas”. I get thrilled by the 1st snow of the season as much as I did the 1st time I ever saw snow.

I enjoy my afternoons sipping a mug full of (super hot) - hot chocolate while the snow occasionally falls on my glass windows and slide down.

Religiously every evenings after work re-iterating episodes of “Friends” (random order) and enjoying the gimmicks and gags as if I was watching it for the 1st time. The love for Harry Potter series emerges too, but my little one thinks its too eerie so I have to sneak peak.

Less work @ work-we call it the slack period - although the business is supposed to be growing :)

The occasional free time that I enjoy - like this one - I am writing this blog on a Friday afternoon while I am supposed to be at work and working. The extra time that I get to treat myself with a spa or visiting friends or trying out a new recipe or just being me :)

The Thanks Giving spree, the midnight shopping,  the rush in line for the feel good deals - wow!

The fabulous lighting around vicinity, especially the places in and around malls completely illuminated, the jingles, Christmas carols, kids waiting in line to have pictures taken with Santa...Oh I just love Santa! I get psyched by the thought of it.

There have been a few new additions to my fun list since we moved to Seattle and that is watching the parade near Bellevue Square Mall. My little one loves it.  Ransacking the walkway to find the best/cozy spot to watch the marching bands...kids climbing on to their fathers shoulder to get a birds eye view of the parade - chirping and clapping. But the icing on the cake would be the artificial snow that they shower, it indeed makes the scene magical. It makes me want to think I am on a fairy tale - (sans the crowed) ;)

The ice skating attempts that I have made.For 2 consecutive years I went in for ice skating but haven’t gotten any further away from the rim ;) -- Ah, what the hell I still enjoy from where I am at :)

Oh how could I have forgotten the smell of cookies - We would choose a day and bake cookies together at home as a family (yes, this includes my husband too ;))....Perhaps this the only time he wouldn't mind thinking it is the best time of the year. Last year we even shared our cookies with our neighbours (unacquainted at that time ). It was fun to share it with them and get to know them.

Wrapping up Christmas presents for our son and having it placed near the fire place at night.

The joy that I see in our little guy unwrapping those, who by the way thinks it was Santa that  came down the fireplace and left him a gift because he was on Santa’s “Good Boy’s” list :)

While it may sound like an apocalypse (metaphorically) when my husband speaks about this time of the year, I tend to take the “Happy Holidays” literally and enjoy this phase of life cycle :)

Although the excitement of stepping into the New Year brings an end to this fun season, I start to think about my new years resolutions, dreams, plans and try to synergies it with good faith in order to make the most of the next 10 months until its time again to shift our gears into the most wonderful time of the year.