For the first time in many years, my family spent Christmas Day together. Mom and I opened up gifts first thing in the morning.

I am so lucky and glad that she knows me so well. While she didn’t get the exact things I asked for, she went above and beyond and got better. She was surprised I got her so many gifts.

Many people love shopping. Touching the soft clothes as you walk by. Seeing what’s on sale in the center aisles or the front of the store. I like shopping too sometimes, but this year especially I am ever so grateful for online shopping.

My mom works night shift so her mornings are hers to do with as she likes. Her routine was to feed all the animals, let out the chickens and then drink her coffee while they foraged. I was always jealous of that.

Friends who aren’t just here for a good time, but for all the nitty gritty stuff too are the true ones.

I got a burst of energy and motivation, which is seemingly rare this busy season. For Christmas this year, most of the things I asked for are organizing tools. Last weekend we spent time with half the family and exchanged gifts. Today, I put almost all the gifts I received to good use!

I invited one of my friends over so we could exchange Christmas gifts before Christmas. I ordered wings and pizza for dinner. I already had cocoa with my cute festive cups for later.

My friend and I decided to exchange Christmas gifts at church. It was my first time attending the Sunday church service in years. It was amazing being surrounded with love and adding in my own love. I got to see some my beloved friends from all the events and classes I’ve been taken.

During this busy season, I haven’t been hanging out with my friends as much as I had been in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Last night however, one of my friends reached out asking if I wanted to go out on the town.

Book study this week was so amazing! We skipped a week so we all had a lot of catching up to do. I love being surrounded by like-minded people.

Mom and I had already discussed having a warm, relaxing day inside since it was going to be raining. I had mentioned a couple months prior that I was interested in finally finishing the Game of Thrones series when we were ready for a new show to watch. What a perfect time to start a new show!

Mom and I attended a great class that was full of inspiration, creativity, insights and fun amongst great people. We all enjoy sharing our experiences and thoughts with each other on our own individual spiritual journeys.

The golf carts were so festive! Lights, snowmen, reindeer and more. They all had Christmas music playing. One of the drivers was the Grinch! Many of the carts had their dogs accompanying them. Everyone loves their dogs.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. When I finally got home I relaxed and watched television to wind down. In no time at all, the clock said 12:30am. I immediately realized I hadn’t published a gratitude for the day and began beating myself up for missing a day.

Mom and I decided to finish putting up Christmas decorations today. The living room is filled with red blankets, both for us and the kitties. There’s a blanket coming out of the kitty tree house and one on the cat hammock. There’s a red and green table cloth on our dining room table now. I also added garland to the fireplace screen.

I had been having trouble booking a trip with a friend the past couple of weeks. Support was little to no help, so I had admitted defeat. I had let it go and decided it was a trip not meant for me to do.

Today, I went in for my first ever scalp treatment. It was so lovely having my scalp massaged and the warm water on my head while my hair was being washed, especially since I wasn’t doing any of the work.

My Mom and her friend had gone Christmas shopping this morning. When they had finished we had planned to grab lunch together.

My friend and I finally made plans to go out to a nice Italian restaurant that she had been wanting to show me.

I ordered a pizza called The Butcher. It’s basically a meat lovers pizza. They had sliced the pepperoni into small lengthy pieces instead of the usual round slices. Cutting it up that way made it much more enjoyable to eat.

Today, Mom and I got the opportunity to participate in a neighbor’s annual Christmas Cookie Bake event. We made cute, easy Christmas wreath cookies out of cornflakes and marshmallows. We had fun being creative, getting our hands dirty and laughing with new friends.

Our hen named Blueberry hatched a batch of berries. They look like running cotton balls. They are getting feathers on the tips of their wings. It’s the first sign of them growing into their “ugly teenage” stage.