MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!!

We cannot lose sight of the real reason we celebrate Christmas:

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:9-12

And now, for a Christmas tradition. We open one present on Christmas Eve, and it is always matching pajamas. We try to guess what the theme of the pattern will be each year. We started this tradition when I was 6 years old, and we had plaid pajamas. Reliving that theme this year! : )

On the 1st day of Christmas,

we opened Christmas presents

in our traditional matching jammies.

Clint, Pretzel and I

Family presents-before Santa came to visit : )

On the 2nd day of Christmas...

On the 2nd day of Christmas,

my brother, Clint, and I

decorated Christmas cookies.

Clint and I

The magic ingredients

The finished product!

Also, here is a picture of my girlfriends and I last weekend at Jason and Lauren's wedding! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Fowler!

On the 3rd day of Christmas...

On the 3rd day of Christmas,
my mom dressed Pretzel
in her Christmas sweater.

On the 4th day of Christmas...

On the 4th day of Christmas,

my fiancé and I

sent out our Save the Dates.

(If you didn't get one, don't be offended. We only sent them to our (massive) families.)

On the 5th day of Christmas...

On the 5th day of Christmas,
the marketing interns
built a lovely fireplace.

On the 6th day of Christmas...

On the 6th day of Christmas,

work friends and I

had a Feliz Navidad party!

Jay won the award for best Christmas outfit!

It's not a Feliz Navidad party without fajitas!

...and of course Christmas brownies!

On the 7th day of Christmas...

On the 7th day of Christmas,

my family, friends and I

celebrated my 24th birthday!

Birthday Cake from my family!

The cake with 24 candles : )

Birthday brownies from my sweet friends

On the 8th day of Christmas...

On the 8th day of Christmas,

I received some Christmas cards

And displayed them like I saw on Pinterest.

On the 9th Day of Christmas...

On the 9th day of Christmas,

my Mr. Wonderful and I

attended the Junior League Christmas Party.

(nicely sporting our red and green )

On the 10th day of Christmas...

On the 10th day of Christmas,

We searched for the best lit house

And this is what we found in T-Town.

(and of course Matt and I enjoyed Christmas music and hot chocolate on our hunt)

On the 11th day of Christmas...

On the 11th day of Christmas,

as I listened to Christmas songs

I decorated the Christmas tree.

(okay, so maybe the tree has been decorated since November 5.......what can I say, I LOVE Christmas!)

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

On the 12th day of Christmas,

The marketeers and I

Took a Christmas card photo.

Thanksgiving at the Farm

On Thanksgiving morning, I had breakfast with Matt before heading to the airport. I took a quick flight to Tampa where my Aunt Debe and Mom picked me up. We drove to the Grainger Farm to celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family. With around 50 people each bring a homemade dish, we had quite the spread.

After a delicious meal, it was time for family photos. Here are a few:

Gaga and her Grandchildren

A remake of a picture we took when we were younger.

My (little) brother, Clint and I

My wonderful Grandparents

After taking a few several pictures, we headed on a hay ride to see the orange groves (my Uncle provides Tropicana with oranges) and feed the horses and cows.

After a wonderful day, we headed back to the house to take a quick nap. Aunt Debe, AnnMaree (my cousin) and I headed out to Bealls for some Black Friday shopping. We made it to the store at 10 p.m., and it opened at midnight. Let's just say we were 7,8, and 9 in line and got some wonderful gift cards!!

I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with my family this Thanksgiving! Thank you to the Graingers for all of your hospitality!