four christmas things:

Today, I did four things to actively get more in the Christmas spirit.

1. I wrapped two Christmas presents. One for my sister, the other for my niece. I curled ribbon, I strategically placed bows, I chose paper that I thought was appropriate to the personality and age of the recipient -- it was quite the ordeal.

2. I went out to the barn and rode my horse. I know that I'd do this on any day of the year, but for some reason being out there made me feel Christmasy. Maybe it was the wading through snow to catch my horse, or when Laura and I went upstairs to plug in the Christmas lights. Either way, it somehow helped with my holiday mood.

3. I decorated our family's Christmas tree with my sister and my mom. The house smells like evergreen, and the living room is aglow with coloured lights. This is truly wonderful.

4. I watched a children's Christmas cartoon on CBC with my family. The story was magical, and about believing in Santa, and even though I've actually already seen it before, it was still a nice way to finish off my Christmasy day. All I needed was to hear an animated version of Tom Hanks hollering, "We're going to the North Pole, of course!"

And now, though it's still relatively early, I will go to bed -- while sugarplums dance in my head.