I'm sitting on my couch next to Ender, huddled together under the blanket that my friend Andy's dad gave me before I left for college. It's black and white with fringe around the edges and a Norfolk Southern train weaved into the center. "So you don't get cold," he said with what I'm pretty sure was a tear in his eye. It's been ten years and I still break it out every winter, because Jim Ed doesn't want me to be cold and you just gotta listen to Jim Ed.

Can you believe December is here already? I know we moved at the end of September but I still keep telling people we've been here a month, as if time stood still the moment we turned the key of our Silicon Valley townhouse. But the holidays are upon us and our tree is up, decorated with lights and ornaments (including several hilarious ones with baby pictures of me and my brother); and our stockings are hung not on the mantle (we don't have one of those), but along the edge of our staircase.

We're finding our routines--it takes time usually, so I've tried to be patient about it. Sneaking out of bed in the dark for an early barre class, coffee at the computer as I start my workday, a mid-morning break to take Ender to the dog park to play. I joined a book club and am reading again for the first time in too long (and stocking the bar with Baileys for next weekend, when I'm hosting). Thanksgiving in Half Moon Bay with my side of the family was exactly the low-key, relaxing, and fun first west coast holiday we needed to really start feeling at home here. It takes time usually, so I've tried to be patient about it.

California still feels like a different world sometimes. But December feels like an old friend.

It's not a big secret that I'm very firm in my No Christmas Music Before Thanksgiving beliefs. This is not the case, however, with holiday cards. I love sending them soon after Thanksgiving, but that means you have to order them before then. Being ahead of the game has never been one of my strong suits, but when it comes to ordering pretty stationary, I'm always on top of it. Maybe it's because we've moved around a lot and while the holidays have looked different for us almost every year since we started moving, this is one constant tradition we do no matter where we are (like a Thanksgiving race--it started with the Turkey Trot in Roanoke every year for as long as I can remember, then last year we did a 10K in Charlotte, and this Thursday we're running another 5K; but this time in Silicon Valley).

Anyway, life has been a little busy lately, and I had no idea that the family photos we took with our friend Rémy this summer in Charlotte would be gracing this year's holiday cards, but here we are. I had big plans to go to Baker Beach and get some new photos of us in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, but I guess that'll just have to wait until 2017.

I'm excited to be partnering with new-to-me-sponsor Tiny Prints this year--it was so sweet of them to send us these glamorous glitter holiday cards (and if you're wondering, no they don't make a mess--the glitter stays put)! They also have laser-cut designs, both personalized and stamped foil cards, and some super cute ornament ones, too. I'm really happy with the design I picked, and I can't wait to hunker down this weekend and write some notes to our friends and family on the East Coast!

And finally, from now until December 2, you can enter to win a $100 credit to Tiny Prints, right here on Freckled Italian (winner will be notified by December 16). Just use the widget below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Sometimes I find the week after Christmas to be even more magical than the holiday itself. Lots of people are still off work, and it's kind of the calm between two storms. Christmas has come and gone and we're in the few days before the new year that always make me look back on the past year with some reflection while simultaneously looking forward to the year ahead with determination.

This week I will be taking down our Christmas decorations, cleaning our apartment, finally throwing away the last of the clothes I never wear, and sitting down to make some resolutions for 2016. There will also be burgers and cocktails and cozy breakfasts at home, despite the 70+ degree days we've been having lately.

Between the weather and my family and the move, it didn't really feel like Christmas to me this year. But it definitely feels like time for a new year.

Merry Christmas, darling.