I LOVE LOVE LOVE the holidays!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. Everyone is a little bit nicer, the chill is setting in, parties are planned, loved ones called. I could go on and on. I just get so darned excited about all of it. The little girl in me is let free!
Much of this newfound joy for the Holidays is because I am now a mother. Nothing makes me happier than seeing joy in my childrens' face and see them light up when we make holiday candy or put up the tree, or especially when Ella (my 3 yo) sees the Thanksgiving feast on the table. (she LOVES to eat.) Having kids in the home brings back that wonderment I remember feeling as a child. Things are a little different now though. I grew up rather poor. Gifts were often small or homemade but there was always something under the tree come Christmas morning. And my mom could make a feast when there was only a few items in the pantry. I still don't know how she did it. Now that I am a mother, I can only imagine the dissappointment she felt not being able to give us everything she wanted to because she didn't have the money. But truthfully, the best memories I have are from when we were the poorest.
Thankfully, I haven't found myself in that position as an adult or mother. I am able to provide more than enough for my children. Matter of fact, I have to remind myself that it isn't necessarily a good thing to give them everything they want. I tend to overcompensate for my childhood (or lack thereof) and splurge on them. But I know that being a good parent means doing the best for them, not necessarily doing everything for them.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be wonderful this year. We have a new house to celebrate it in. Friends that have become the family I always wanted, especially seeing as we have no family in Oklahoma. I'm excited about the future because I am finally in a place I want to be in life. And what better time to celebrate that than the holidays!