Things Loved In December

Ah, December.  How can one month be so amazingly fun and magical, yet so ridiculously hectic and overwhelming?  She’s a tricky one, that December.

Of course when it comes to Things Loved in December there are all my usual favorites:  busting our my Mariah Carey Christmas CD, putting up the tree and decking the halls, receiving holiday cards, celebrating with friends and family, and Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha Latte.  These are givens.  Here are a few other things that had me feeling the love this month:

1.  For starters, let’s put Starbucks’ Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte on the list!

I was thrilled to see that a lower calorie version of my favorite winter drink is now being offered by my crack dealer.

My weekly Starbucks order in December 2011:  Grande, nonfat, no whip Peppermint Mocha Latte (290 calories).
My weekly Starbucks order this December: Grande Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte (130 calories).

You see that?  Starbucks gave me the gift of -160 calories and -2 words for Christmas this year.  Thank you, thank you.

2.  Speaking of Starbucks, I was there one morning in early December, waiting for my overpriced latte that I absolutely consider an unnecessary indulgence, when I saw it.  Taped to the front of the counter was a smattering of little paper candy cane shaped cutouts, each with a gift request written on it for a person in need this holiday season.  One in particular caught my eye:

“Girl, age 4.  Dora anything.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.

My chest tightened and I had to remember to breathe.  All I could think of was this four-year-old little girl, bursting at the seams with all the wonder and excitement that is Christmas, and all she wants in the whole wide world is anything that has anything to do with her favorite cartoon character, Dora the Explorer.

Dora anything.

That weekend Kate and I went shopping and she helped me pick out Dora gifts that would go to our little four-year-old friend whom we would never meet.  As we stood in the checkout line, I felt for the little red construction paper candy cane in my pocket–the one I couldn’t possibly leave Starbucks without–and wished with all my heart that this little girl asking for “Dora anything” would feel nothing but overwhelming love and joy on Christmas morning.

3.  Another joyful moment this December was seeing Kate perform in her very first Christmas pageant!  Her daycare organized a fun little show for all the kids and Kate’s class (along with the infants, and 2 and 3-year-olds) all got up on stage and sang Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to Jesus.  It was the cutest thing!  After their performances the younger children cleared the stage to sit with their parents while the older kids performed–but Kate didn’t want to leave the stage!  At one point, while waiting for another group of kids to come on stage, Kate was the only child up there–all alone, just running around and enjoying herself in front of a huge room full of total strangers.  We’d never seen this side of her before!  Usually when she’s around people she doesn’t recognize–heck, even people she does!–she clings to me or G for quite awhile until she “warms up” and feels comfortable enough to navigate the space without us.  But not this time!  After the awful, miserable, heart-ripping struggles we endured a year ago when we decided to switch daycares for Kate, it was absolutely incredible for us to see such a powerful display of how comfortable Kate truly feels at her new daycare.  We were so proud of her!

Kate (23 months), owning that empty stage.

4.  Another very proud moment for me this month was seeing my youngest sister, Amanda, graduate from college.  There are ten years between us and we’ve always had more of a mother-daughter bond than a sister-sister bond.  I remember getting her ready for her first day of kindergarten, helping her with reading homework in elementary school, and bawling my eyes out during her high school graduation ceremony.  I know eventually I’ll need to see and treat her as a peer, but to me she will always be my first baby girl.  I am so proud to see her achieve something she worked so hard for!

Me and my baby sister–the college grad!

5.  Words with Friends.

A friend introduced me to this game about a week ago and I think it’s safe to say I’m slightly addicted.  Not Starbucks addicted, mind you…but close.  For anyone who doesn’t know, Words with Friends is basically a Scrabble app for your iPhone or other compatible device (I think you can play it online through Facebook, too), and you can play with any of your friends who also have the app.  What I like most about the game is that you play your turn whenever it’s most convenient for you–at the check-out line, while you’re making dinner, waiting at the dentist, etc.  Your opponent isn’t sitting impatiently across from you, urging you to hurry up and go.  What I like least about this game is that I’m a total rookie and up until a week ago I had no clue that XU, NU, HIST, SH, OY, QAT and AY were words.  However, now that I am getting my ass handed to me by G’s cousin, John, I am well aware that they are–and that I have a lot to learn.

Honorable Mention: G and I saw the movie We Bought a Zoo on Christmas afternoon and we both really liked it!  It’s a great feel-good movie, and I especially love that it’s based on a true story.  Plus the two little girls in the movie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Elle Fanning) are so darn adorable they’re worth the price of admission right there!