Happy Monday! Happy December! Holy cow, can you even believe it is already December? A late Thanksgiving can make December feel like it pops up quick. I’m here with Holly sharing some fun from our weekend. I hope you’ll link up with us for Hello Monday!

I didn’t do a Friday Favorites post last week so I am going to start with last week for the great things that happened. I might end up with more than eight, but I’ll still call it Eight Great! Let’s get to it!

1-Thanksgiving Thursday started with the parade, like always. I sat on the couch and watched the entire thing without a single interruption. It was wonderful! I worked on a few blog posts while I was watching. I loved the whole parade! The weather didn’t stop the fun and the Rockettes were fantastic as usual!

2-We went to Jeff’s parents house mid-afternoon on Thursday. It was so nice to be with everyone. My mom and dad came, Jeff’s sister and her family, and Jeff’s brother and his family. The cousins had a great time together. The food was delicous. We laughed and laughed and had a great holiday!

I tried to get selfies with Jeff, Jack, and Luke. Only Jeff cooperated!

3-Friday morning was Christmas decorating day. I decorated from the time I got out of bed until I went to bed. I only left the house to pick Jack up from golf and take the kids to and from swim practice. I did not get it all done, but I got a lot done. I started our tree lights and realized I put them closer than last year. On the way to pick the kids up from swim, I did make a Home Depot pit stop to get more lights. Our tree has 1400 lights this year and I couldn’t be happier. I do think I can get 100 more on there next year.

4-I saw this sign on a Kirklands ad and knew I needed it. When I shared it with my mom, she hopped right on the internet and ordered it. I love it! I might even keep it up all year.

5-We decorated the tree Saturday morning. The boys got their trees up in their rooms, too. I love Christmas trees!

6-Luke is playing on an indoor soccer team with some friends from school. He missed the first two games because of tournaments with his club team. He made his first game this weekend and had so much fun!

7-We went to my parents house after Luke’s game on Saturday. It was nice to hang out with them and enjoy their tree! My Aunt Donna and Uncle Roger got there in time to visit a bit before dinner.

8-We had dinner in the same restaurant we do every year for the electric lights parade, but it was under new managment. We weren’t sure how the food would be but the view is always worth it. It was a great surprise when the food was so yummy! Jeff had to work on Saturday night so he didn’t get to join us.

9-The boys and I walked back to my parents. We saw the tree lighting in town, stopped at the hot chocolate bar, and walked through the lights the city set up in the playground.

10-I had a bit of a slow start Sunday morning. I read and relaxed in bed a little longer. I did some cleaning up and started putting Christmas decoration boxes away before Luke and I went over to one of his buddies’ house for a Christmas open house. It was a great way to spend the morning. One of my sister’s college friends was there and I got to catch up with a bunch of pool friends. It’s always fun to catch up with my festive friend Darla!

Luke and I popped into Micheal’s on the way home because I moved some things around and wanted something new for the powder room door. How cute is this Santa?

11-The rest of Sunday was a mad dash to get the decorating finished. I didn’t finish but I am so close! I added lights to the memorial/cemetery behind our house this year. I was planning to put multi-colored lights up because the back of our house is all multi-colored lights. However, when I was going through our decorations I found a bunch of white lights so I put them up. It looks so lovely out there. I hope the ghosts like it, too! 😉

The boys put the ornaments on our outside tree while I put the icicle lights on the roof. They did a great job!

12-I painted my nails on Wednesday evening. I have been doing dished, putting up thousands of lights, and banging around the house decorating all weekend. Look how good they still look! I have the best luck with Olive & June polish and top coat.

13-I had two fun Christmasy bracelet stacks this weekend. I love my bracelets from Kathryn Robnett (formerly Shop GrayCo.). She has a bunch of cute stacks for the 12 days of Christmas right now.

On Wednesday, I said I was looking forward to a holiday weekend with a good mix of getting together with family and time at home, relaxing and productivity, and outside fresh air and inside cozy. We had a good mix of visisting with family and time at home, inside and outside, and lots of productivity. I didn’t get as much relaxing as I was hoping, but I ended the weekend feeling good about how we are heading into the week.

If you are looking for something good to read, I shared my 2024 Christmas Books recommendations on Friday. There are some great books on that list. I hope you find something you enjoy reading!

The weather looks pretty chilly for us all week, but I am going to try to get outside for a walk or jog every day. In past years I have challenged myself to do 30 minutes of intentional movement every day between Thanksgiving and January 1. I am not doing the official challenge this year, but I am working to remember that I feel better and manage my stress better when I move my body. If you blogged today, please link up with us for Hello Monday. Have a great day full of sunshine and books!