this is my absolute favorite time of year. the weather is continuing to cool off, there are a million celebratory events, and decorations are up everywhere to ring in the holidays.

growing up hindu in small-town arkansas, we still got very into the christmas spirit in our house, and i am very grateful to my parents for instilling some of those traditions in us. the day after thanksgiving we would put up our tree and decorations, and i will always remember the year i convinced my father to hang wreaths and lights all over the exterior of our house. we would open our advent calendars each day in december and anxiously count down to winter break and christmas day, when we knew we would get to open presents and eat lots of delicious food.

one of my favorite aspects of this time of year is getting the house ready. i love picking out and putting up decorations, and as this is my fourth year back in the states i have been enjoying creating some of my own traditions. i’ve collected some of my favorite ornaments from my parents’ house and picked up a few of my own from my travels, and i have a few lights and garlands strung up around the house. i love lighting candles each night so the house smells great and is all nice and cozy. and i still set out my beloved tennis ball tree, the one we got circa 1991 that no longer has any tennis balls or stars on it but that still brings me immense joy.

because ultimately that’s what this time of year is all about, isn’t it? bringing joy to yourself and to others.

here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

xx