It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Less Like Summer

Up until a few days ago, it has been 75 degrees daily in Atlanta. I'm not complaining. I like warmer weather much better than cold. However, I have to agree with my daughter  --- it is a little teeny bit difficult to get into the Christmas spirit when you could slap on some oil and get a nice tan (not that I would dream of such a thing. It would only serve to further line the pockets of my dermatologist, who delights at carving me up every time I visit her office while she yaps about sun damage and the 80s.)

Please come along as I outline a few tactics we are currently utilizing to expedite that Christmas feeling as we usher in slightly cooler temps:

First, we bust out a lovely pine-scented candle to supplement the delightful scent of our live tree. This Thymes Frasier Fir candle is a favorite.


We start lining our kitchen window with the lovely holiday cards we begin receiving in early December. (Alert: if you are one of my dear friends who sends their card wicked early, I refuse on principal to display them until after Dec. 1.)



These guys start terrorizing the household. Speaking of, I have plans for the people who started this elf craze. Said plans will land me on Santa's naughty list, but I'm willing to take the hit for all of us. That's how dedicated I am.


These start blooming. I must say, the holly bushes of my youth were of the sticker variety and would result in multiple puncture wounds should you try to pluck one of the poisonous berries. There are no violent stickers on this bush, so maybe it isn't holly at all. Whatever. Looks Christmasy to me.


Each member of my household will consume a minimum of 5 candy canes a day. Mostly because of convenience as this arrangement sits on a table at the bottom of the stairs.


We find a way to collect ornaments that might otherwise be heading to the great ornament playground in the sky, as a direct result of a serious crash.


Because honestly, it wouldn't be Christmas if our tree didn't hit the deck every couple of years.


The dogs have requested that I state, for the record, they were crated when this incident took place, and thus cannot be held in any way responsible. They wouldn't want their improved behavior to be confused with last year's, um, embarrassing situation. 

Tell me: what does your family do to get in the holiday spirit?