The Daily Hailey

I’m starting to get more and more excited about the upcoming Christmas season! I’m feeling more festive than usual, and I just want to decorate my house! We got our tree up in our living room last week, but haven’t had a chance to beautify it yet. This evening, however, Brady strung it with lights while Laela and I critiqued it from the couch. Dekker was already in bed, sadly, but that kid was wiped out so we didn’t have a choice. The lights on the tree, plus the lights that Brady restrung around the exterior of our house, plus the white lights that line our entire upstairs all year round make for a really lovely, sparkly atmosphere. While we don’t always feel settled and all warm and fuzzy in our town, our house certainly feels like a safe place to call our own.

Brady is working tomorrow and Wednesday, but as we’ve had to do the last little while, he has booked off of work Thursday and Friday to be with us. Thursday is a day we had planned to clean up a bit, decorate the house, and the tree, and wrap gifts. There will be lots of music and coffee. Friday will likely be a day in the city. I’m getting my hair redone, and my legs waxed, and who knows what else we’ll end up doing. Maybe making some snacks for Christmas? I’m having a bake day with my mom on Wednesday but you can never have too many desserts and snacks 🙂

I think on Wednesday we’ll be making sugar cookies, gingersnaps, and my first ever attempt at peppernuts! I’m pretty bad when it comes to baking. Not that I’m a bad baker necessarily, but I am almost never hungry for anything I make. Even regular meals. I just don’t want them. Maybe because I’ve been around the smells too long? But I LOVE peppernuts, and I’m pretty sure they’ll be fun treats for Dekker. Sugar cookies have always been a favorite of mine, and ginger snaps will be delicious and great for dunking now that I have a hot drink pretty well every morning. So I have hope. I was hoping to freeze all the chocolate covered pretzels that didn’t get eaten and save them to enjoy as Christmas treats. However, the sprinkles and silver balls on them are quite a bit harder and crunchier. So I may make more without all the decorations and just drizzle chocolate instead. We’ll see. It was fun to make them once, so if there’s time I’d like to try again. What are your guys favorite Christmas treats?

I could use ideas for new Christmas music 🙂 What are your favorite albums for the season? I only have about three Christmas albums, none of which I’m completely loving this year. Let me know what you guys like!