The Weekend Report: My Christmas Warm-Up Weekend

Thanksgiving is the Friday night of holidays. It?s great by itself, but what makes it truly awesome is all the fantastic holidays it precludes. 

(That statement is pure genius ? thank you Jordan!)

So you know I love running?and reading?and eating. And by now, you?re probably aware of my passion for pumpkin and art museums. But I?ve been holding out on you. Because what I love more than all that fun stuff is?dun dun dun?.CHRISTMAS! And after Thanksgiving dinner, it is officially legitimately Christmastime. YAY!!!! (I?m excited, are you?)

Even if you don?t celebrate Christmas, there are plenty of things to love about the ?holiday season?: baked goods, days off work (2 in a row ? thank you Christmas and New Year?s!), holiday sales, Hanukkah, Kwanza, cookies, and just general good cheer! 

Oh the list of things I love about this time of year goes on and on and on. I love Christmas music, movies, shows, food, trees, ornaments, candy canes, decorations? I?m getting all worked up just sitting here at my desk!

If you happen to be a Christmas-hater, perhaps you should avoid my blog for the next month?actually no, you should probably keep reading because maybe my appreciation for Christmas will rub off on you a bit?remember, nobody likes a hater.

My Christmas Warm-Up Weekend:

Anywhoozle ? while picking on left-over Thanksgiving desserts Thursday night (to be blogged about tomorrow), I tuned into my first Christmas movie of the year. 

(Actually that?s a lie ? I watched The Grinch On Demand back at the beginning of November ? did I mention that I get excited about Christmastime?) 

I watched Elf on Thanksgiving - the part where he gets hit by the taxi kills me...and the part when he's eating cotton balls at the Dr.'s office...and the spaghetti with maple syrup - my sister and I may or may not have tried that one...

On ?Black Friday? I hit up the malls at Tysons Corner. Woah. This was my first Black Friday experience, and it was quite the experience. I wasn?t out to buy anything in particular, but appreciated all the people-watching. Imagine looking out from the second story of a mall and just seeing a sea of people. But don?t space out too long, or they will run you over! It was as much people-dodging as people-watching. After all that I was exhausted, so I settled in to watch Christmas movie #3 - Love Actually - the guy with the signs telling Kiera Knightley that he loves her makes me cry. In a good way. 

On Saturday, I meandered over to the American History Museum, because I remembered reading about a special holiday exhibit. On the way, I wandered through the city ? all the big hotels and office buildings were in the process of decorating. The exhibit itself was pretty meh ? it was about holiday parades and floats and department store windows, but it was about the size of my bedroom, and didn?t have much stuff?not worth waiting in line for.

Then I went to Target and bought a tree and ornaments for my house!!! And listened to Christmas Radio on the way?It?s beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

So that?s about it. It?s odd being in the city for a holiday weekend, because everyone leaves the city to visit family. But that?s ok, I obviously amuse myself. Today ss November 30, so for you sticklers who say Christmas can?t start until December ? this is your last day of justified grinchiness?GET EXCITED!!!