Holiday Guest Blogger: Sarah (a.k.a S.S. AWESOME!)

Seasons greetings, Followers of Megan! I’m Sarah (or S.S. from previous posts) and when I’m not distracting Megan with a bottle of wine and the latest episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, I’m helping her navigate the New Jersey transit system (and by helping, I mean looking around all wide-eyed and confused while cracking wise about the number of trains we have to take to get from Point A to Point B).  J

What’s not to love about Christmas?  The lights, the songs, the opportunity to dress your dog in their best and get their photo taken with Santa (yes, I’m one of those people).  So when our favorite Prep blogger asked to me to share my Christmas traditions, I just couldn’t say no.

When I think of Christmas cookies, I think of biscotti and kolaches. Every year at Christmas, my grandmother makes her homemade almond biscotti (delish!) and my mother whips up some kolaches (if you’re not familiar with kolaches, they’re a delish fruit pastry type of cookie).  I absolutely love baking and each year try out at least two new recipes (one for the hubby to enjoy and one for my puppies).  For some great ideas for cookies that are not for your canines, check out The Joy of Baking’s website (http://www.joyofbaking.com).

mmm….fruit pastry type of cookie….

There’s nothing better than grabbing a cup of hot cocoa, piling in the car and driving around the neighborhood to look at the decorations.  But while most people are enjoying the soft glow from hundreds of twinkling lights, I’m on a hunt: the hunt to find the tackiest home in town.  You know which ones I’m referring to.  They are the houses that inspire the following chain of thoughts: “Wow! I’d hate to pay that electricity bill!”; “I wonder how long it takes them to put that all up”; “What the heck do dolphins have to do with Christmas?!”  Okay, so that last one might have been in regards to a house in my neck of the woods but you get the idea.  So while Megan and I discuss the relation of aquatic mammals to the birth of our Lord, enjoy these pics from other tacky homes (and count your blessings they don’t live next door to you!)

Doing their part to ensure the local power company has a VERY Merry Christmas.

But my favorite part about Christmas traditions is making new ones.  My husband is a police officer so we don’t always get to head home for the holidays.  When it’s just the two of us, I try to make Christmas all the more special.  We do holiday ride-a-longs where I get to watch him in action (and try my darnedest to stay awake all night, a hazard of the midnight shift), we make a fancy Christmas dinner together and sip on eggnog while we watch the classics.   It’s a quiet way to pass the holiday, but Christmas is about being with those you love so I wouldn’t have it any other way.  For me, it’s perfection. 

That’s it for me, blog-o-sphere!  I hope each and every one of you has the Happiest of Holidays!