1. I can’t believe this big kid is going to be SIX in just a few weeks and is nearly halfway through kindergarten. While this has been an insane year, to say the least with lots of things upended, one of the biggest blessings to come out of it is that we have been able to enjoy so much time together.

2. My sweet babes who are joined at the hip ❤️️ (And side note, we finally removed the baby gate from the bottom of the steps a couple of weeks ago and it almost feels like a whole new house, ha! I can’t believe it had been there for over 5 years!)

3. Like most of the people on the Eastern side of the country, we got a great big snowstorm this week! After going through a couple of winters with barely any snow, having two huge snowfalls by the middle of December has been such a welcome joy ❄️

4. Today is the last day of school before Christmas break, and I’m thrilled that there is such a long stretch of time off. When I was working a corporate job, I always tried to save vacation days for two or three days before Christmas; it felt so relaxing, even more so than the week between Christmas and New Year’s!

5. And since we’ll have time to enjoy, I’m thinking of tackling gingerbread houses with the kids since we’ve never done them before. If you do them, do you make them from scratch? Buy a kit? Tell me all the things and any tips for doing it with little ones!

6. If you want a holiday cookie option that’s different and delicious, try my orange cookies with sweet orange glaze. A huge reader favorite!

7. In Jessica’s Tuesday Things post, she was talking about the first CDs she owned, and oh my, it threw me right back to early high school days! Mine was Aerosmith’s Big Ones; what was yours?

8. A good read >> Create a More Spacious Life.

9. Just a quick programming note that with the next two Fridays being holidays, Friday Things will be on hiatus until the beginning of January. I’ll see you back here on January 8th! (Don’t worry, there will be plenty of recipes shared with you during that time!)

10. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year as we turn the page on 2020!