Happy Blogmas!

For those who don’t know, blogmas is a cutsey little name for blogging related to Christmas. Some people post every day, but…ahem….that is just way too ambitious for me right now. I thought I would aim to do a “blogmas” post each week leading up to Christmas and just document some of the fun festivities or little Christmas-y things I’ve been enjoying or on my mind.

For starters, while this post features the pretty and polished highlights, what you WON’T see is me being a hot mess from having a horrible Lyme flare that has pretty much taken me down a good chunk of these past few weeks. I respect bloggers who share those messy sides in all their gory detials, but that is just not me. While I want to be vulnerable and real, I prefer this blog to mostly be a redeeming space to show and discuss what brings me happiness and inspiration. So, while I still plan on sharing my life and what’s been going on to a degree (hence my chronic illness diaries series), the photos you see will be the “polished” version! In truth, even during weeks where I am flaring up hardcore and spend many days “couch bound,” there are still little windows of time thrown in usually where I can go out for a little and put an outfit on and have some snippets of fun!

These above photos were taken at my neighbor’s annual Christmas tree lighting party the weekend after Thanksgiving. They are extremely generous with their entertainment and always go all out for these affairs—catered food, dessert trucks, goodie bags, fire-pits, espresso bar, several coolers of drinks and wine, etc. And this year they even had Santa come visit! I had some delicious gluten-free penne pasta with some cheese fries from the hot dog stand (so healthy, I know) washed down with a MOUTHWATERING chai latte. I decided to take the vanilla birthday cake cupcake home with me for later…hehehe. Santa let me pose with him and even gave me a goodie bag!

Most of this first week in December I have been reeling from some exacerbated Lyme symptoms. Long story short, I started undergoing an intensive antibiotic and steroid treatment for a staph infection that was discovered in my sinuses, but unfortunately this treatment caused a terrible reaction that has intensified many of my Lyme symptoms. I say this not to complain but just to keep things real!

But a few days ago I was feeling a little better in the afternoon so my mom and I went for a drive to a local mini mall. We popped in a few boutiques and snagged a few cake pops for later. I even tried my first specialty drink of the season—a chestnut praline latte with oat milk and half the amount of syrup (courtesy of my sister gifting me a virtual giftcard). I will admit, the gingerbread latte is still my all-time favorite (WHY DID THEY GET RID OF IT), but this was surprisingly satisfying. I loved seeing the different themed Christmas trees adoring each window and appreciated the sparkling and frosted decor scattered throughout. If you know me, you know I love SPARKLES!

That same evening, on our way home, we made it just in time for our village Christmas tree lighting at the local historic train station. It was really sweet to see some more neighbors that I have not in ages and to enjoy some hot cider as Santa lit a new evergreen tree that was planted. I am so happy to have had two chances to already celebrate the Christmas season!

Well, that is a wrap for Blogmas week 1! Stay tuned as I continue to share more of my traditions, festivities and just document my weeks through this Christmas and advent season!