My favorite holiday – hands down – is Christmas, and I’ve been day-dreaming about what Christmas at Holly Tree Cottage will look like. If it’s anything like what’s in my brain, I may never leave that home for the holiday! This year, we all once again traveled down to St. Petersburg, Florida to celebrate the holiday season in the sun.

My parents drive down from Indiana with their dog; Martin’s parents, grandmother, and “Uncle Slap” fly over; and we pack up our dogs and the trailer and drive the 16 hours south to thaw and spend time together.

This Christmas was so magical. Don’t think that just because we spend Christmas in Florida that there is a seaside theme! We’re all very traditional and decorate in reds, greens, and golds and hope to emit the comfort of a familiar-style celebration.

For Christmas Eve, we eat egg and chips (it’s a British thing), popcorn, and chocolate fountain. Don’t ask me how that became a family tradition or how any of those foods go together! Tradition is tradition and you don’t ask questions! After we eat, we have a team gingerbread house building competition.

Mom and I were the clear winners (everyone who had eyes said so). But to be fair, we have had several years of practice on this. We used to go to a class once a year at the community center to build gingerbread houses together. We even made a replica of my childhood home one year.

My dad and Martin made a valiant effort with the attempted replica of Notre Dame above. If this were Project Runway, they would have been safe. But who wants safe when you can win? (No, I’m not competitive in the least.)

Christmas morning, we take our time getting up and open presents. I love seeing the reactions of people when they open the perfectly thought out gift. I got some pretty thoughtful gifts, including a pillow cover embroidered with Indiana cities and landmarks, a membership to the National Trust, and the entire boxed set of Harry Potter books. Confession time: I’ve never read Harry Potter, I’ve never seen Harry Potter, and I know nothing about Harry Potter except that everyone says it’s amazing. So, I asked for the books for Christmas. And I am so excited!

This was Tucker’s first Christmas with our family and as you can see, he got a little tuckered out (hardy har har har).

Martin’s mom fixed a beautiful lunch for us to enjoy (serious food coma after five courses), and then Martin and I headed out for a walk to stretch our legs and enjoy the seaside. We have both been into board games lately and later that night, we played Clue and Jenga until we were too exhausted to think.

Of all my favorite moments this Christmas, the one that won over was a quiet moment after all the hustle and bustle of the day. I sat by the Christmas tree that night with a mug of hot cocoa and Grace by my side. It was so peaceful to look at the lights and the ornaments and reflect on the day filled with love. Sometimes I forget to give thanks in the day-to-day, but I couldn’t have been more grateful for our families and my blessings than in that moment (#blessed). My all-time favorite Christmas movie sang it best: “When you’re worried and you can’t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep.” Merry Christmas, friends!