If I have to be completely honest, I’ll tell you that I’m not HUGE about the specific holidays themselves. My family has never really had “true” traditions or things that we do together every year. Some years we drive to LA and spend the holidays with my grandparents, sometimes we open presents at midnight, sometimes the next morning, sometimes we cook, sometimes we spend it with family friends, sometimes we use Safeway’s dinner packages, etc. Since I can’t really pinpoint my favorite things about Christmas or the New Years, I will write about my favorite things about the holidays in general.

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The weather

I’m not super into hot temperatures and sweating while straightening your hair… I’m from San Francisco. Fog city. The weather in SF is literally perfect for me — not hot, but not freezing cold either (most days). The wonderful thing about the winter and holiday season is the cold and crisp weather. I love the feeling of cold air hitting my cheeks and my nose. The way a hot drink always feels right. And I also love…

 

Dressing cozy

Sweaters, coats, boots, fuzzy socks, blankets, etc. I am absolutely in love with wardrobe options in autumn (my favorite season) and in winter. You can get away with dressing super comfortable and still look cute. I also have some strange obsession with coats! I have no idea why because it’s not like SF gets cold enough to need coats, but if I could collect one item of clothing, it would be coats!

SIDE NOTE: My favorite coat by far has been the Ted Baker Wool-Cashmere Wrap Coat. Well, the version before this one. I loved it so much, I bought the long grey one, the short light pink one, and am very tempted to buy the long burgundy one (especially because it’s on sale!) BUT, since I live in Spain, I can’t really buy too many things…I gotta get everything home somehow!

 

Holiday lights

I don’t know about you but I love the christmas lights that you can hang inside your house. I also love the way cities are decorated with beautiful lights, banners, and street decor. How stores have christmas trees and how they play holiday music while you shop. Or how all of a sudden ice skating rinks, winter wonderlands, and Christmas markets pop up. It all feels like Christmas. It feels magical, or like I’m in a New York Christmas movie.

 

The food

Although I mentioned that my family is the least traditional ever, the one thing I ALWAYS manage to have no matter where I am or who I’m celebrating with…is pumpkin pie. EVERY Christmas morning, I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast — talking about that, I have to find pumpkin pie here in Barcelona… hmmm…

But besides the pumpkin pie, all the food in winter is so heavy and filling. I love having a full tummy and enjoying every bite of various textures and flavors of food. And on the Christmases where I’d go to LA with my grandparents, I would help my grandma make delicious tamales! Blehhh, I’m missing home now.

Now that I think about it, every Christmas with my grandparents included a popcorn set…you know, one of those tin cans with four different flavors of popcorn… mmmm now I want popcorn too!

 

Reunions

This is also the season that people tend to connect more. I feel like it’s the time when people are feeling grateful and nostalgic. When they start reminiscing about their lives and how the year has passed by so fast, and all the people they used to spend time with and now don’t (or is that just me??). It’s the time of the year where I tend to hang out more with people who I miss or that I haven’t had time to be with throughout the year. It’s that special time that really counts.

My friends that I’ve known since I was 11 always make it a point to meet each other once a year (usually during Christmas). This will be the first year that I’m missing that reunion but I’ll make up for it surely!

 

Family of course

Besides meeting with long-lost friends, family time is super important. Spending Christmas eve, Christmas, New Years, etc. with them is a MUST. I will be sure to call my family during Christmas to kind of celebrate with them this year. My family also started a mini-tradition of traveling to a different country after Christmas. It was nice because we got to experience a new place every year and spend the New Year in a different part of the world. I remember celebrating New Years in Machu Picchu, Italy, and Brazil (Brazil was by far my favorite New Years celebration ever!)

 

A few more of my favorite things include…

1. Hot chocolate, tea, and sweet pastries
2. Comfy house slippers
3. Baking goodies and having a warm, sweet-smelling house
4. Darker days (I’m probably one of the few who actually enjoy Daylight Savings)
5. Getting to cuddle with my dogs
6. Perfectly wrapped presents
7. Turning on the fireplace
8. The feeling of getting someone a super special gift that I’m proud to give

Well there you have my favorite things about the holiday season! I’m sure there are plenty more, but these are at the top of my list.

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What are your favorite things about the holidays? Did you relate to any of the points I listed? Am I the only one that likes shorter days??

Happy holidays!