Thanksgiving has come and passed, leaving us all in the graces of the most wonderful time of the year-Christmas. I am thrilled that I am finally able to begin expressing my love for this beautiful season, as I have been told on numerous occasions that the “Christmas starts the day after Halloween” idea is downright unacceptable in its entirety.

Yet, if you are anything like me, November first is the day that you allow your inner-child to shine through as you eagerly begin hanging multi-colored Christmas lights throughout your room. Spirits are lifted as snow flurries fall, glistening in the air as we begin to feel “merry and bright.” In my opinion, Christmas is a time filled with overwhelming senses of joy and love, and it is never too early to begin embracing those sentiments.

There is nothing that warms my heart quite like the thought of sitting next to a fully ornamented Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate and opening long-awaited presents (@mom and dad: an iPhone X would be greatly appreciated). In a similar sense, as a Chicago native, there is no feeling comparable to spending an evening downtown in this holiday cheer. Not a year has passed where I missed taking a trip to the city to admire its breathtaking tree, as well as stopping by the Christkindlmarket in Chicago’s Daley Plaza to purchase my annual mug of spiced apple cider.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I will still gladly take a picture with Santa. I guess that some things truly never change.

In regards my trips to the city, I am the first person to admit that I am not the biggest fan of driving in this seasonal weather, though it is not enough to stop me from making my way to Michigan Avenue to partake in the shopping extravaganza of a lifetime. Surely, I could save myself the time and utter stress of buying Christmas presents by simply embarking on a ten-minute excursion to my local mall, but the experience is bleak. As a lover of all things Christmas, I take my shopping rather seriously. Not only am I in search of the perfect presents for family and friends, but I find that I can only find myself in the proper mindset if I am strolling down the streets of this gorgeous city with a Peppermint Mocha coffee and credit card in hand, fully equipped to rack up a bill that I will likely be questioned about when the statement is mailed to my house later in the month.

This does not even begin include the shoes and accessories that I will somehow justify purchasing for myself along the way. Yes, I should probably not be in possession of a credit card when the biggest “deals” of the year are in full effect. My bank account will be painstakingly desolate by the end of December, but I’ll worry about that in 2018.

I could go on for days expressing my adoration for the Christmas season, but unfortunately, I must stop here. The original “A Christmas Carol” is on.