Especially Grateful

This year, Christmas will not be the biggest event of the year.

What an exciting year it has been. Weddings allllllllll year round (including our own), lots of planning and crafting and celebrating with family. A few quick road trips to Jasper and around here.

Now it's almost Christmas.
All gifts are wrapped. All tags are placed. All gifts are ready to be given, sent, or opened under the tree. Stockings are filled. Letters and cards are partially sent. And baking is done... well until Christmas dessert (gonna go for a pumpkin spiced cake and a bread pudding).

Now all that's left is to visit friends, have family over, make Christmas dinner, and give out presents.

It is a wonderful year indeed.

Giving doesn't always have to be expensive either. Since we had our wedding this year, although we got tons and tons and TONS of help, we wanted to keep costs down a bit for the holidays. So we opted for a few handmade gifts - like hand painted bookmarks, hand painted canvas magnets, whipped sugar scrubs, baking, Christmas cards with photos from our wedding. We were able to purchase 'real' gifts as well (thank you Indigo for always having a great selection), but we focused more on experiences, handmade gifts, and gifts that can be used and shared with the whole family.
Except Dex.
I doubt Dex will share any of his dog treats ... and I don't think anyone would force him to share either.

We are especially grateful this year.
Although we have had our fair share of struggles (okay maybe more than a fair share), this year has been a particularly good one. No new diseases popped up, most of the issues have been bureaucratic and access to medication versus an unknown illness wreaking havoc, and nothing really went wrong at the wedding - save for a serious throat swell the day before. We had a couple of colds or flus here and there, and a lot lot LOT of sleeping, but rarely any trips to the Emergency room (other than with meds and before the Big Day), no big hospitalizations, the weather has been incredible overall, and so so so many more things.

Unfortunately we have had some losses too. Friends of friends, fur-babies of friends, some difficult health complications among friends, along with one of the most deadly illegal drug crises we have seen in years.

But at the end of the day ... the end of the year... I am grateful for everyone in my life and for all of the positive things that have occurred this year.

Here's to a happy holiday season.