[Winter lovin'.]

This is really happening.

Can't. Even. Handle. It.

[Christmas Eve.]

Just a quick glimpse at Christmas Eve at la casa Milan...

Things you (don't really) need to know:

• In our annual Nativity play, I'm always, always, Mary. Obviously.
• Mary definitely wore a red cape exactly like the one I'm wearing. And baby Jesus definitely resembled a miniature Santa upon exiting the holy womb.
• Since high school, I've always imported our favorite Jewish individual, Daniel (affectionately known as D-Hor, even to my grandma), to be my Joseph.
• We also have him hang up our Star of David Christmas tree ornaments.
• He loves this.
• Normally, we all receive matching (or at least coordinated) Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve.
• This year, we received matching red staplers.
• We didn't love this.

[Back to December snapshots.]

Before I move on to the Christmas vacation photos and New Year's resolutions, a few snapshots from my December DC happenings:

row 1: Christmas tour of the White House // my baby turquoise tinsel Christmas tree

row 2: a Chic Coco Christmas party // A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theater with Chad

row 3: a Georgetown basketball game // my special new diet dew goblet, prezzie from the roomie

row 4: a stupid question // a good question

row 5: more Christmas at the White House // photo shoot before Tim's office party

row 6: an evening of tapas + flamenco dancing // happiness comes in kate spade boxes

[From me to you.]

[Paper trees.]

Just, you know, sitting on the floor in the middle of the afternoon, cutting out paper Christmas trees for no reason. This is normal.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: At Christmas you tell the truth.]

All I've got tonight.

[The ugly sweater party.]

Last night we had 100 of our closest friends over for an intimate ugly sweater gathering with wassail, hot chocolate, and Domineau's amazeballs "Better Than [your favorite vice]" cake. I was kind of nervous slash excited to see what people would come up with for their ugly sweaters...what turned up was a delightful combination of awkward family photo/cat lady/normal sartorially challenged Mormon people sweaters. I couldn't have been more pleased, really.

Btw, these are my roomies--not sure I've ever shown us in all of our Seven Brides for Seven Brothers glory (props to the ex for that nickname...don't think the irony is lost on me), so presenting Rachel, Lynn, Melissa, Domineau, moi, Ginette, and Corinne for your viewing pleasure:

This Aaron fellow below took FULL advantage of the strategically placed mistletoe, which I definitely hung in about 15 different places throughout our main floor, plus over every roommate's bedroom door. I had hoped to get every guest a kiss from someone, but alas, the apple cider wasn't quite strong enough, I guess.

Is there anything more adorable than a grown man who bedazzles his own Christmas shirt with Santa penguins (below) all by his little self? I think not...I think not. Also, props to Dom for DIYing her pom pom Christmas tree shirt as well.

Basically everyone should have a giant red bow.

...and a southern boy to grant you Santa wishes.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: Last Christmas.]

Presenting two versions of my all time favorite Christmas song, Last Christmas, originally by Wham, but here by Florence and the Machine (an amazing, amazing rendition shared by Blake) and Jimmy Eat world for the emo 2000s kid in all of us. I've always sworn by the J.E.W. one, but this Florence cover may be my new favorite...you decide. I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye...

[I see the light(s).]

Favorite restaurant surprise. National Harbor. Drive. Country and carols. Navigation fail. Snowmen, dancing trees, and sneaky Santas. Cold nosies. Circles. Good ones.

I appreciate a boy who will drive me around for hours just to see Christmas lights.

[Two Tunes Tuesday: 'Tis (always) the season!]

I don't know what your rules are, but I do NOT have a strict no-Christmas-music-before-X-date policy. I listen to Christmas music year round, as it is always appropriate to be merry and bright. But I'm quite sensitive and considerate, so have restrained myself from posting any such tunes here until now, after Thanksgiving and well into the Starbucks red cup season. This first song is a beauuutiful Christmas hymn sung by Vocal Point, the BYU male a cappella ensemble (you may have seen them dominating this season of NBC's The Sing Off...). I heard it for the first time this weekend, when Vocal Point spent an afternoon at my house, chilling with the fam, eating lunch, cleaning up our kitchen, giving us a private little concert in our living room...you know, normal stuff. Anyway, they sang this song and I *may* have fallen just a teensy bit in love with the lead (though he was already a favorite from the start of the show). Girls (and everyone else, really), I dare you to watch this and not swoon. Seriously. Go ahead. Try.

Told ya you wouldn't make it out alive.

And then...there's this. A classic oldie, and a favorite of mine. It's excellent. And fitting, don't you think?

whomp whomp whomp

Me and the kiddies.

Against my will, they are no longer babies...and two of them are taller than I, while the third is only an inch away. They are still my little kiddies, though, and I miss them every day. These are our Christmas Eve jammies - purple pants for the girls and a purple ghostbusters shirt for the boy...who is such a boy that he had to do something audibly disgusting during our pretty photoshoot. Luckily, la madre captured our reactions for posterity's sake.

temple lights.

Earlier this month Chad and I attended a Christmas concert at the DC temple and strolled around the winter wonderland there. Seeing the lights at the temple in LA was always one of my favorite Christmas activities as a kid--I was slightly distraught that I missed the LA lighting ceremony this year, but seeing the beautiful 500,000+ lights in DC with Chad more than made up for it...this year.

oh christmas tree!

3' tall {turquoise! tinsel!} christmas tree.

glittery snowflakes.

sparkling cider, pie, and cookies.

gifts and love.

mariah and elvis and ella and karen carpenter.
girlfriends. boyfriends. roommates. family.

roomies in december.

merry christmas from the girls of apt #1131!

love, milan, michelle, domineau, and corinne

p.s. corinne's faces are priceless.