Baby Jesus vs. Baby Gap

It is not hard for me to get caught up in the Christmas excitement, but sometimes I can go the entire season without getting in the right Christmas-frame-of-mind. I love shopping and decorations and Gap ads for scarves as much as the next girl. I love shiny, loud Christmas. I love making lists of gifts and lists of card recipients and lists of treats to make for my neighbors. I love listening to pop Christmas songs sung by Ashley Tisdale and Kelly Clarkston. I tend to get wrapped up in the excitement.

This morning I am listening to a "Classic Christmas" station on Pandora. It is mostly church choirs. It reminds me of going to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir when I was little, walking around Temple Square to see the lights, and eating Christmas dinner at my Grandpa's house. Even though the religion is not part of my life anymore, those were the Christmas traditions of my childhood.

There is a big difference between that flashy Rudolph Christmas and the subdued, reverent Christmas. It is the difference between going to the mall and helping out at the homeless shelter. The great thing about this time of year, is that there is plenty of time for both. You can buy your sister a colorful scarf and pick up a toy for a little girl on the Angel tree. They will both help you get into the spirit of things, but in different ways.

I'm certainly not getting on a high horse here about how we should all be kind to our fellow man and avoid the commercialized Christmas. As soon as I get sick of this station, I am sure that I will switch it back over to young pop stars singing Santa Baby. I love commercialized Christmas. (Except for those stupid Jared/Zales/Kay jewelry ads.) It is just nice to get a little glimpse of that kind of Christmas spirit that comes from inside instead of being thrown at you every time you turn on the television or open a magazine.

I Feel Too Christmas-y To Go To Work

For the last few weeks at work we have been moving our office, which means that everyone has been in jeans and sneakers and not much work has been done. Tomorrow is the first day that we will all be buckling down again, wearing office-y clothes, and trying to catch up. I'm hoping that wearing a dress and heels will be enough to get me in the buckle-down-and-work mood after the weirdness of the move and this glorious long weekend.

I am in the first week of a new course at school, and my last two courses have been a little off-kilter due to all of the visitors and traveling. I struggled to keep up, assignments were late, and I didn't get the best grades. So far I'm on track, even ahead, in this course. It's another thing to attack with a renewed sense of motivation.

Unfortunately, with Christmas coming and my excitement at our upcoming trip home, I am having a hard time being motivated to do anything besides bake Christmas cookies, decorate my house, and go to the gym so I look extra-great when I see family. And shop for presents, of course.

Good News For the New Year

In my last post I complained that, despite my increased cardio stamina and decreased running times, I was not losing pounds. I decided to forget about the weight loss for the winter months and just concentrate on keeping up my new hobby.

Levi and I went home for Christmas, then we both came home sick, so it was hard to go to the gym. We managed to keep going at least once a week during that time. Now we are back to three times each week and cardio in between (when it is not too cold). Since the beginning of the year I have lost three pounds and I am well on my way to meeting my goal of losing four pounds by the end of January.

Because of the winter running lapse I am not doing as well with my endurance. I think I took a step back in that department, so I'll just have to keep at it. Again, I am more concerned with just keeping it going until it gets warm outside and running is fun again. I also cannot wait to take my bike down to the trail.

The dress goal is looking good. I went to Obama's Commander in Chief Inaugural Ball on Tuesday night. I wore a dress that was a size smaller than I would have a year ago!

The Five Things I Am Loving Right Now

1. Stephen Colbert's "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)" on Rock Band II. This has been one of my favorites for some time now, but the fact that it is a free download on Rock Band II is the best.


2. The new Belle & Sebastian BBC Sessions CD is making me very happy. It is a great selection of songs, including four rare tracks.

3. This time of year always makes me feel crafty. Last year I made my own Christmas cards. This year I ordered a few embroidery patterns from Sublime Stitching and got to work. So far I have embroidered a cute little hedgehog on a dish towel. Boy oh boy is it cute. Next: zombies and pirates. And a squirrel.

4. I have new hair! It's dark with a little red. Also, say hello to bangs. (I love it.)

5. I finally bought tickets for our flight home for Christmas. Oh jeez, they were expensive. But it is worth it! We have not been in Salt Lake since last Christmas, and I have only seen my family for a few days all year. I'll drop a grand or two every year if that is what it takes.