So Christmas is coming FAST. I feel like it hasn't until the last couple days. But I love it! I'm so glad we've had our house decorated since the beginning of the month and I've been pretty much done with shopping for a while-- first time ever, I usually run to the mall on Christmas Eve. Classy, I know. I just love everything about Christmas and the feeling it brings. I'm glad all the "Christmas-y" stuff is all done, so I've been able to enjoy Christmas and not get caught up in running around at the mall and forgetting what we're really celebrating.

I looove looking at Christmas lights that people put up. Sure, big Christmas displays at public places are nice, but I love driving through neighborhoods to look at lights because I know that these people wanted to put them up and not get paid to do it because it was a display at some public location. I love when people get into the the Christmas spirit! So anyway, the other night we were driving home and I'm looking around to see if there's houses that have been decorated that I haven't seen yet, so I see a couple on one street so I made Jeff drive over there so we can see them. We get to this one house and I'm ooh-ing and ahh-ing at what they've done on there house and then we look closely and there's a picket sign on their front yard that says "Courtyard's Christmas House Decorating Contest-- 3rd place winner".

There's a decorating contest in our neighborhood?! I love it! If we would've known, we would've gone all out on our house! So I then make Jeff drive around the whole neighborhood to find the 2nd and 1st place winners. I said I need to see our competition for next year. They were dang good, too! But... I think we can beat them.

I think this was 2nd place. I didn't get good pictures of the other houses. I think the owner's must've thought I was a creep for photographing their home. After I took this picture, someone opened the front door.

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a great day! We both worked all day, so in the evening we went to BJ's for dinner and then to a movie because we had free movie passes. We saw How Do You Know. Um, yeah it was lame. I was so excited to see it, too! Oh well. We had fun. Then after, we drove around different neighborhoods to look at the Christmas lights. I don't know why I love doing this so much.

Last week, my mom wanted us to take a picture with Santa, like every year, so we went to the Bass Pro Shops at the Silverton and there was a HUGE line. So we sufficed for a picture on a sled in the front of the store.

Merry Christmas, everyone!