Happy Friday! In a completely unpredicted turn of events, this week was a little calmer that the past few have. I was a little surprised, but it felt good. Even though the week was calmer, I still have a bunch of favorites to share. Let’s get to it!

Favorite 1: COLLEGE GIRLS! I got together with a few of my college roommates last weekend and it was so good! We had very few plans and spent a bunch of time talking and catching up. The four of us hadn’t been together in over a year! We’ve been friends for over 24 years and we pick right up. We booked a room at a mani/pedi spa and it was so great! The four of us sat two across from two so we could all talk together. We got to catch up with Cass’ parents, too. I love these girls!

Favorite 2: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!! It is no secret that I love Christmas lights and seek them out whenever possible. We were looking into a Christmas lights bus tour last weekend and found a Tacky Lights Run/Walk instead. The houses along the route were fantastic!

I haven’t been in town on a Friday night in December which means the boys and I haven’t driven around to look at lights. Yikes! We changed up the trend a little this year and took to the streets on a Wednesday. We picked up Chick-Fil-A milkshakes and hit the road. We visited some favorite houses and discovered a few new to us houses. I love this tradition and hope we can find one more night to hit a few more neighborhoods.

Favorite 3: SANTA!! I love when Santa drives through the neighborhood on the fire truck. We’ve been in our house for 10 Christmases and have seen Santa every single year. We have a lot of little kids around us and it was so fun to all be out there together waiting. I always think about planning a caroling party after Santa comes through, but never quite soon enough. Maybe next year…

Favorite 4: SPIRIT DAYS! While I do not love being told what to wear and December is so busy, I am enjoying some of our spirit days at school. We’ve had holiday socks (I wore shoes), holiday headwear, candy cane day, and holiday bells so far. Holiday bells was fun but it got a little loud by the end of the day! One of my sweet students had her bell bracelet around her bun. It was so cute that I twinned her hair all afternoon.

Favorite 5: DRIVE THROUGH NATIVITY! This is another one of my favorite traditions in our town. This year Luke and I were the only ones to go, but it was fun to see some of my former students and the boys’ buddies taking part.

Favorite 6: CHRISTMAS BOOKS! I shared what I have been reading on Tuesday and there are a lot of Christmas books there. I also have a list of 2022 Christmas books if you are looking for one. I love how reading and listening to Christmas books keeps my Christmas spirit going strong!

Hello Monday – New York City
Reading Lately
Loving Lately – Not Just A Mom

I am going to be in town all weekend and I have a list a mile long. Luckily some of the things on my list include a Christmas movie, cookie dough, and possibly making candy. I’d like to finish my shopping this weekend, too. I have more to do than I was hoping at this point, but I think I can get it all done before Sunday evening. Have a great weekend full of sunshine and books!