It's almost here...

Yesterday I realized that the Christmas season is sneaking up on us pretty fast. I am looking forward to it, but this year, I want to have FUN. I mean, we always have fun, but I don't want to be stressed out for the next month and half. I want Aiden to have a blast and see all the lights and festivities that the season offers. I want to bundle up and go out in the cold to see Santa. I want to drink slightly intoxicating hot chocolate while singing "jingle bells". I want to play in the snow. I really want to take the time to enjoy everything so, this year I am doing my Christmas shopping early, mostly online, and saving the weekends for crazy times with the family - not crazy times with 10,000 strangers in line at the mall. Here are some things I am looking forward to this year...some new and some old!

• Santa visiting my neighborhood with the Folsom fire department, collecting canned foods and passing out candy canes to the kiddos
• Warm Starbucks drinks in those red cups
• Attending a tree lighting or 2 - Sutter Street in Folsom, Main Street Festival of Lights in Placerville or El Dorado Hills Town Center
• Finally going ice skating at the skating rink on Sutter Street
• The annual Walshaw-Ellsworth Christmas tree hunt
• Placerville Santa parade on Main Street (this usually conflicts with the event above though)
• Playing in the snow! Taking Aiden on his first sled run :)
• Drinking champagne (I know, I do this all year long, but for some reason it is more fun during the holidays)
• "Wild nights and holiday lights" at the Folsom Zoo and riding the holiday train
• Driving around looking at Christmas lights. I don't like driving to far, so my favorite neighborhood is across from Costco - the houses by the park go all out and one house has the lights set to a radio station
• Getting out the advent calendar, I think Aiden will enjoy it more this year 
• Stuffing stockings on Christmas Eve
• Bundling up for some evening walks around the block to check out the lights and decorations
• A couple casual fun trips to the mall with no shopping lists. Just for the holiday shopping experience. During the week ;)
• Food, food and more food
• Aiden's Christmas jammies 
• Having a slumber party with my mom and sister for our birthdays
• Decorating my house, finding new treasures that I bought on clearance at the end of last year and totally forgot about
• Picking out a new Hallmark ornament for Aiden

All that being said, I saw these pics on my phone and realized that I also already really, really miss summer!