The refrigerator may still full of Thanksgiving Day leftovers, and we may have still been in November, but it's never too early to start decorating for Christmas. As soon as we returned to the city from Connecticut, Mike was down in our storage unit unpacking boxes and boxes of Christmas treats. Last year, during all the post-Christmas sales, Mike stocked up on some surprises that I hadn't seen, and he was giddy with excitement to show me after keeping them a secret for almost a year! 
In no time, we had the balsam & ceder candles burning, the Christmas music blaring, and some bourbon cocktails on ice to better set the scene for decorating. Every year, we look at all of our decorations after they've all been unpacked, we feel like something is missing. So the decorating is also met with countless errands all over the city to Pottery Barn, the Union Square Farmer's Market, Duane Reade...and anywhere else that can help us put the finishing touches on our Winter Wonderland.
One of my favorite parts about decorating is the unpacking of the ornaments. It's like a mini-scrapbook of our lives and our relationship together. We have so much fun reminiscing over the amazing places we have been to and all that we have done together. Yes, Michael has a few ornaments that I'm not in love with (i.e. the Santa Homer Simpson, or the terrifying vintage Santa of which Mike is so proud because it's "the exact ornament that Clark Griswold has on his tree in Christmas Vacation"), but we have amassed quite a collection during the 5 Christmases we have spent together. We almost couldn't fit them all on this year! Each ornament is one of my most cherished possessions and a collection I'm extremely proud of. 
My husband is a holiday decorating genius. This is his THING. Before November even ended, our little Manhattan apartment was transformed into the North Pole, and no detail was spared. We even have special Mr. & Mrs. Claus coffee mugs that we use during the month of December. Perhaps what is most impressive.... it's all controlled by a remote! With just the push of a little button, the interior & exterior illumination fills the apartment!
The festivities for the holiday season are already in full swing and we have a month long of celebrations ahead of us. This year, we were especially detail oriented with our decorations, because for the first time ever, we will be in New York City on Christmas Day! We are so lucky to be able to see both of our families again this year, but Mike's parents will be coming to New York on Christmas Day. We couldn't be more excited to host them.
It is pretty magical how such a small space can be transformed to feel so complete and so warm. No, we don't have a mantle where we can hang our stockings, and our fireplace is electric, but it's an absolute holiday dream at apartment 2F. Each day, I look forward to ending the day at home with my little family, enjoying the cozy festivity in our apartment and admiring the view with a holiday cocktail. It's an instantaneous overdose of serotonin! This is going to be a beautiful season and I'm so excited for all that is to come this year. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
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