It's begining to look a lot like Christmas

Welcome to my Christmas filled Room!

It has been a hard day today, well a hard week for that matter. This year marks the very first year of my whole 24 years that I have not been with my family for Thanksgiving. Now in our family the Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and yes, I do believe that is the best day, but as tears filled my eyes today I realized that I needed the Christmas tree.


Now no tree could ever substitute my family, but it does make me feel a little better. Yesterday I received a Thanksgiving care package from my amazing mom which brightened my day and really started the whole need. The care package was filled with her amazing caramel corn, party mix, Christmas decor, Holiday book and a few other goodies. It brought tears to my eyes and the first bite of the caramel corn made me think of home.

I spent most of the day today looking for that cheap day before plane ticket to go home. I mean, wouldn't that have been great, but those $650+ tickets kept appearing and I continued to get more sad. So the only solution I came up with... decorate!

I am now sitting here with my holiday candles lite, the tree sparkling and White Christmas on the TV. It makes me so excited to be in Chicago for Christmas for two weeks, but until then, I will just imagine I am sitting with my family.


Luckily I don't have to be alone for Thanksgiving, wouldn't that be even worse! No, this year I have the chance to experience a whole new Thanksgiving, Cuban style. And actually, I will have 2 days of Thanksgiving. Paul's family has so graciously invited me to join them for their Holiday and not only do they celebrate very different than my very white midwest family, but its the first time in a very very very long time that I have shared a holiday with a special someone. Since his parents are divorced they go back and forth each year on who gets them on the actual day of Thanksgiving. This year Thanksgiving lands on his dad which is kind of a bummer. He is not as close to his dad and I am far from close to his dad as we haven't had much of a chance to get to know each other. Who knows, maybe this will be the chance to bond with his "papa" as he calls him. His mom's Thanksgiving on Friday though is going to be a blast I am sure, her last letter to me said it would be "a very non traditional meal with lots of loud music, dancing and family." His mom and I have had the chance to get to know each other a little more, and she even has been able to get to know my mom in SF and in Chicago. I am very thrilled to be spending time with her. Paul's sister is also very wonderful, she just turned 21 and is so great. According to Paul and his mom, Erika (his sister) is hard to impress/please and her and I get along wonderfully, therefore I have a good in there :)


Anyway, I just wanted to share my Christmas set up this year. I wish so badly I could be cuddling up with my family watching Christmas Vacation, eating lots of food and putting up our family Christmas Tree but I hope that this year is the only year I wont be spending with them.