It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

One of my favorite things is looking down the street and seeing nothing but Christmas lights in the dark night sky. I know that Christmas is so much more than shopping, decorations, and trees--but I cannot help but look forward to the decorations--it makes me smile inside and out. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Des Moines. As of Thursday, lights have gone on, trees have been lit, and the music has begun. Of course I'm one of the those weird people that listens to Christmas music after Halloween--but now it's nice to listen to it without getting any weird looks. I LOVE Christmas time--it's a happy time, for so many reasons. My Grandma always sings "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere we go." My grandparents have always made Christmas so special. Apparently when I was little I told my grandma Christmas at her house was "magical" and, thus, she created Christmas Magic for me and a special little gift would appear in a random place at her house on Christmas Eve. My grandma is so wonderful at creating good memories.

Tomorrow I head back to Atchison and with only 7 days left of classes and then finals---then my senior year is half way over. It also means that I have only a month until I leave for the Amazon & that is quite exciting. May the Christmas spirit be contagious to everyone.

Lots of love from Des Moines.

Picture: It's kind of blurry--but this is my house tonight, all lit up. We laugh & say it is like the Griswald's off National Lampoons Christmas Vacation because we always compete with the neighbors.