While December isn’t exactly over yet, I wanted to share my December reflection now since I have a few other things I want to share to you around the New Year.
Below are some of my favorite things from the month of December.
Books
- She Reads Truth Advent – Teddy and I did this together and it was such a beautiful focus on the Light of the World.
- The Love Hypothesis – Not your typical romance book. A light read, but lovely and humorous along the way.
Podcast Episodes
- She Reads Truth Advent – Teddy and I listened to these weekly podcasts that went along with what we were reading in the Advent Study. It was a great way to get a preview to what we’d be reading but also hear other’s take on the readings. There is one for each week.
- The Value of Questions from John Maxwell – I took quite a few notes on this one, but I’ll share with you two quotes. First, “The level of questions you ask is in direct correlation to the level of answers you get.” And second is a quote from John Wooden, “When an opportunity presents itself, it’s too late to be prepared.”
Products
- Chatbooks – I ordered two books from the roadtrips Teddy and I took last year. One through New England, and another through the southern Atlantic Coast. I got each printed with tons of pictures during a recent sale.
- The Windows in my Sunroom – While it’s not necessarily that I love the windows themselves, I just love that I now have a 3 season room rather than having only plastic and screens on the windows.
Experiences
- Rocky Ridge Christmas Lights in York, PA – A 1 mile walk through lights in York PA that goes until December 30th.
- Longwood Gardens Christmas in Kennet Square, PA – Walk through the gardens of Longwood and see the plants and lights themed around Fire and Ice for this year. Show goes until January 9th.
- Elizabethtown Christmas Lights in Elizabethtown, PA – A 3 mile drive through with the most beautiful lights through December 30th.
- Holiday Bonfire at Landis Valley Farm Museum in Lititz, PA – We went here regularly at Christmas as kids and loved the hot chocolate and cookies in the Yellow Barn as well as singing the older Christmas Carols by the bonfire.
- Hiking at Middle Creek – I hiked both the Conservation Trail & Millstone Trail with the pup.
Food
- The Atland House Grill & Pub in Abbottstown, PA – We loved their firecracker shrimp, fusion brussels sprouts, and the peanut butter chocolate pie.
- The Whip Tavern in in Coatesville., PA – This is an English Style pub with the most incredible food and environment. It gets busy as it’s not a large place, so make reservations ahead of time.
Movies
- Jingle Jangle – The granddaughter of a previously well known toy maker helps bring back the joy of the season and toys. This one also has a few musical dancing / singing songs along the way.
- Christmas Chronicles 1 + 2 – It’s all about a brother and sister who help Santa save Christmas. While I”m sure mostly for kids, I liked it too.
- A Boy Called Christmas – Nikolas ends up in the land of Elves while searching for his father. And during his journey, we learned just where Christmas comes from.
Music
- Warmer in Winter from Lindsey Stirling – A favorite to put on in the background while I work.
- The National Parks – I love all their music so really anything by them I will listen to.
Recipes
- Breakfast Sausage Casserole – This isn’t exactly the receipt we use, but the closest I could find. We used to have this every Christmas morning as a kid and I still love it.
- Club Cracker Cookies – These are called a variety of names, but they’re always a hit. My grandma and I used to make them every holiday season. I’ve used both brown or white sugar on these. They’re good either way and taste more like a cookie than a cracker.
Wrap Up
This is my last monthly reflection for the year and I’ve truly enjoyed doing these each month. It’s a fun way for me to remember the things I loved, and keep them all tucked away in one spot on my corner of the internet. I’ll be sharing some reflections from my year and plans for next year in some of the upcoming posts.
Thank you.
