31 Days of Holiday Cheer!

The holidays in Arizona can be rough! Don’t get me wrong there is SOO much to do and participate in because the weather is amazing. However, there is always something not quite right to have a warm holiday season and no snow.

Last year we decided to spend a week in Chicago to add a boost of ‘winter’ feel, which helped, but we wanted a bit more. So with a little bit of planning, we decided this year we would make sure we added a bit of Holiday Cheer every single day!

Join us throughout the month to see new activities, pictures, and stories about our Holiday adventures!

Quick Links: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One

Friday, December 1, 2023

We had intended to use the first day of the month to set up all of our Christmas decorations, but got bored over the Thanksgiving holiday and did them a few days early!

So it is probably a little sad that all we have is a tree and a few stockings, but we move so much that this is actually the most we have ever had! Plus there are still realistic feelings that we have to put it all away in a month so minimal is still a goal.

Saturday, December 2, 2023

Originally I had picked out a movie for the evening, but last minute I learned there is an annual light parade in Phoenix. While I had no desire to bundle up and head downtown for the evening, they put it on YouTube this year so we could watch from the comfort of home!

Even better, they saved the Live sessions so anyone who wants to check it out can! You can find the video on YouTube here.

While there were some hilarious moments, fair warning that this looks to be the unedited version right now. The Live version was 100% real-time so we got to see all of the host bloopers. To be honest, that may have been 1/2 the fun.

If you decide to watch, here are some of our favorite moments:

• Bubbles instead of snow.
• Giant balloons, almost like Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. APS had big Christmas light balloons.
• Float built for Sparkies to actually hang from.
• Largest? VW Bus
• Mattress Trees
• Ginger Bread House
• Little Girl in Barbie Box
• Kenilworth K-Kids… or K K K??? #oops
• Mini cars, including a semi!
• Here ye! Here ye!

We do want to expand next year and give more of our family a heads up and we can all watch it ‘together’ with a live chat/call for comments and jokes. Maybe even go downtown but watching from home was pretty great.

Maybe even a drinking/bingo game because this was funny sober, but would be hilarious with a little help. 😉

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Next up is one of our bigger events… Trans Siberian Orchestra!!

They were in Phoenix for only one day, and it has been years since we have had the chance to see them. The last time was in SLC, I think 7 or 8 years ago?

While I can’t upload videos, I can share a few pictures that may give you an ounce an appreciation for how amazing they are in concert. There were two hours of lights, fog, bubbles, snow, fire, props, and amazing music and singing!

Our favorites:

• Finale (of course!) – there was so much fire, and music, and strobe lights everywhere. They even had fireworks, inside the building!!
• There was an opera song performed inside an inflatable snow globe!
• Nutcrackers on the side of the stage were cool but became awesome during the Nutcracker song where they would sway as if they were walking. We also later learned they were inflatable, but they look so solid!
• and then of all around the music atmosphere was just incredible!

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Monday, December 4, 2023

Since we do have actual responsibilities still this month, lame I know, a lot of our activities are watching all our favorite Christmas movies.

We have seen this movie so many times though, so it was more of a background movie while we ate dinner and planned out some future trips. It was still worth it though and the Santa Clause series is now in-progress!

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

While we could have kept it going with Santa Clause 3, we figured we should break things up just a bit so we didn’t get sick of them.

While we have been watching great movies all week, I also started to create a Christmas Playlist on Spotify. After hearing TSO live, I knew I needed to hear them more often. Plus I can’t go without Lindsey Sterling, Michael Bublé and many others!

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Next up we decided to go with a new movie for the season, and EXmas on Amazon Prime looked like the perfect fit.

Regardless of our feelings over the movie, it was still fun to see something new. Even better there are a few new movies still on the list so 2023 can still redeem itself!

Friday, December 8, 2023

Saturday, December 9, 2023

It was a close call on Saturday to get our activity in. We did wander the mall for a few hours doing some idea hunting for presents but I didn’t feel like that counted for our activity.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Starting out a new week, we watched another ‘classic’. Though this is probably one of the more controversial selections for some people, we enjoy it anyway.

Monday, December 11, 2023

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Originally we had planned to watch the Muppets Christmas Carol today. Nathan however had a fun surprise in store when I got home!

After work, dinner, and presents I was exhausted and had another long day at work the next day so we figured opening some presents early totally counted as a Holiday activity for the day.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Hopefully, this is our only bad day all month. Thankfully not actually bad but I had a work event in the evening and didn’t end up getting home until 9/9:30 pm, well past my bedtime!

So unfortunately I didn’t do anything myself, but the good news is Nathan kept the spirit strong for me.

After getting more presents for me and wrapping those, he watched the Star Wars Holiday Special which actually explained the Lego set we got so he knows where it comes from now.

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Friday, December 15, 2023

We debated going to Phoestivus this year and honestly, we would have loved to go. We have only been once but it is a great place to get gifts from local vendors if you need/want or if you prefer our route it is a great place to try out some food trucks and tons of drink stations.

However, Nathan got this crazy (but good) idea to do a ‘Sprint to Christmas’ weight loss goal. We know we have been terrible lately and would be over Christmas so we figured go all out and get to our near-term goal weights in the next week.

So with that goal, going out and stuffing ourselves with food, treats, and drinks was not a great idea.

Instead, we opted for a night at home and started watching a Muppets Christmas Carol.

I personally don’t care for Muppets or A Christmas Carol, so I was just along for the ride… which lasted a whopping 5 minutes 🤣.

Nathan was very quickly annoyed with that movie, so we will make sure to exclude it from future years!

Instead, we got another episode of Santa Clauses Season 1 complete and then turned in early for the evening.

Saturday, December 16, 2023

After a long workout and all of our grocery shopping was complete for the day, it was time to relax!

Since this was our last long day before travel, we decided to put together the Start Wars Lego set Nathan got me for Christmas.

I was quite impressed, for never having put together a Lego set before it was surprisingly complex and such little pieces! How this is marketed for kids I don’t understand because you 100% need an adult to handle or translate the instructions.

My favorite parts were the hidden compartment for the lightsabers and the string of lights that were actually on a flexible rubber piece so it could move around. Also, silly but I didn’t know Lego people’s arms rotated so you could give Chewie a Turkey Leg and make it look like he was eating it! 🤣

Since that only took us an hour or so, we still had plenty of time to finish 3 more episodes of Santa Clause Season 1.

Sunday, December 17, 2023

It is time for our next big show of the season!

I was so excited when I found out Cirque Du Soliel was going to be in Phoenix this year. We have been trying to go to Vegas for years and something always comes up so I had yet to see one of their shows and what better way to start that with a Christmas theme!

The show was definitely fun, and we are now super curious to know how shows in Vegas are the same or differ from ‘away’ shows. We were both a little surprised at the amount of dance/choreography there was. I think we both expected 90 minutes of acrobatics which wasn’t the case, but it was still very enjoyable!

We did start off the show with a unique twist. After the first song, they had to shut down the stage for about 15 minutes while they dealt with a technical issue. Nathan overheard one of the workers comment that this had never happened before, and this was their 3rd weekend of shows!

Sadly we don’t know what happened, other than a minor delay they were able to get things going again quickly and we didn’t notice anything off.

After the show, we had our monthly date night dinner at a new Brazillian steakhouse (sadly just meh), and then it was back home! Lucky for us, it was still relatively early so we packed a few more things in!

We finished Season 1 of The Santa Clauses, so now we get to see what the new episodes are all about this year!

To finish off our night, Nathan still wanted to watch A Christmas Carol so it was time for the Mickey Mouse version which is his favorite.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Thursday, December 21, 2023

After that, we still had a little bit of time before bed so we got another episode of Santa Clause Season 2 in. The storyline is starting to come together and Magnus Antus is giving me Krampus vibes, but we shall see where it goes!

Friday, December 22, 2023

Time to pack! Not only did we get another movie in tonight, but it was laundry and packing day for our trip to Idaho Falls to spend the holiday with family!

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Time to fly! Since travel is a classic holiday activity, I figured that would be sufficient for the day. Plus once you travel all day, say hi to family when you arrive, and get settled at the hotel, there really isn’t time for much more.

Sunday, December 24, 2023

We knew coming in that we were lucky enough to have a snowstorm come through on Saturday, just in time to make it a White Christmas! It was absolutely beautiful, the pictures can only capture a fraction of what it was like being surrounded by snow/frost-covered everything.

Today we had a lot of prep to do for Christmas Day!

First, we started with a Sur La Table cooking class making Cinnamon Rolls and a Christmas Wreath. My mom and I enjoyed people-watching through the class and being done way ahead of everyone because it really wasn’t too complicated. For $29 though it was totally worth the activity, entertainment, and process of good food to come.

Sadly, I had a major fail the next day. We planned on refrigerating the prepped dough and then letting it rise and bake on Christmas morning.

Great in theory, until I got distracted with presents and they all burned 😢. Thankfully everyone else already had something to eat so the morning wasn’t a total waste but all I got were the before pictures.

After baking that morning, we had to wrap up our final presents for each other. I don’t like keeping secrets so knowing that we only had one day left to give presents was a great feeling.

Then we decided to have a traditional White Christmas Lunch/Dinner and the Weil’s joined us as well. Growing up we always went to Sizzler on Christmas Eve and this year was no different.

While we have grown and evolved in our tastes since being a kid, there is something nostalgic about doing stuff like that again.

Sadly, this time dinner was kind of terrible. The salad bar was good and has had some good upgrades over the years with guacamole and brownies added in. However, anyone who ordered a meal had things messed up and it took forever. I won’t lie, I probably won’t rush to that tradition again, as sad as it is.

After Lunch/Dinner, we hung out with the Weils for the evening. We had a number of items to finish prepping for Christmas Dinner and we just enjoyed each other’s company, the way the holidays should be!

Monday, December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

We had an absolutely amazing day spending the morning with the Weils and then a big Christmas dinner with the Weils and Whites.

As a test of Hilton’s status and living in a hotel, we decided to stay in a hotel for this trip instead of with family. Between dogs, construction and just wanting our own space we find this works out really well.

So we woke up, got ready, and made our way over to MIL/FIL for Christmas morning.

Breakfast included Nathan’s favorites, Apricot Sausage Kabobs and Egg Casserole. I already mentioned the ruined baked items so that was a major bummer on my breakfast choices but we made it through.

Then it was time to open presents! I think we all went a little overboard but in the best of ways. Some of the highlights included an excursion for Nathan and me to Kayak Antelope Canyon this Spring/Summer, an additional Dr Who series to upload to Plex, clothes and shopping cards for everyone, and my silly favorite is light saber chopsticks 🤣.

Oh! I almost forgot the best gift from Nathan which is the beautiful necklace you can see above. He couldn’t wait until Christmas to give it so I have been wearing it for the last few weeks 😍.

We spent the afternoon relaxing, chatting, playing with new devices, snacking, and all around enjoying family and the real reason for the holidays!

Once afternoon hit we started to get preparation for dinner going. Casseroles, and meat, and table prep made the afternoon fly by and it was time to eat! While it might not sound all that exciting it was really a perfect relaxing afternoon. We enjoyed each other’s company and just had good conversations while we got our ‘work’ done.

Dinner was great, especially seeing more of the family and getting to visit with everyone.

It wasn’t long until dinner and dessert were eaten and we were all exhausted so we made our way back to the hotel to get some sleep before we had to head back to work on Tuesday.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, regardless of your beliefs. It is a time to celebrate family and love and I hope everyone gets to experience that. ❤️ 🎄 🕎 🎅🏻 (and many others that I don’t have icons for!)

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Working for yourself presents some great benefits, and Nathan chose to take two days off for the holiday. I had to get back to work but it wasn’t too bad of a day with so many people OOO.

That meant our daytime was pretty boring hanging out at the hotel.

However, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for leftovers so we made it back over to MIL/FIL house for delicious food and visiting.

I introduced them to the fun conversations of #AITA (Am I The Asshole) Christmas style! What better way to enjoy your stress-free day than to talk about other people’s drama 🤣.

Once we were back at the hotel, we decided to watch the new Dr Who Christmas Special, The Church on Rubt Road!

For those that don’t want spoilers, skip to Wednesday!!!

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Alright, I won’t lie the rest of the month was a little hectic and our control to do Christmas activities went out the window. The good news is we still had a great rest of the month!

Today we tried a new Brazillian Grill to celebrate my dad’s birthday!

I thought the restaurant was fantastic, Nathan was a little disappointed that it was full buffet-style and they didn’t come around to your tables. I, however, preferred that. I was able to get all the meat I wanted without having to say no constantly.

We also enjoyed a new game, which I can’t remember the name of but it was a Pirates spin on Rook or Spades depending on what you played growing up. Some house rules will definitely be coming on that one, as there is no reason to be so complicated but it was still fun!

Thursday, December 28, 2023

While we had originally planned on more time with the Weils but after an unexpected surgery we wanted to let them rest undisturbed.

So after work, we hit up a favorite restaurant of ours, Cafe Sabor, for some Mexican food! Plus a quick run to Costco for their delicious cookies! 😋

Next up on our game list was “You’re Getting Old”! This was a TikTok recommendation that did not disappoint. It is the perfect game for older millennials or Gen X, and Nathan ended up winning every time!

Friday, December 29, 2023

With the Weil’s still in recovery mode, we decided to hang out with the Whites again!

Today was an early release from work with New Year’s on Monday so we had all afternoon to hang out and have some fun playing the ‘old’ game again. 😉

We went to a local place called Bee’s Knees which has a fun spin on honey and honeycomb in a lot of their dishes. It was delicious, though I really should skip the drink and just get a Shirly Temple, I just really don’t like alcohol.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Our last day with family was bittersweet as always. We had a brunch at Nathan’s favorite, O’Bradys, and then hung out for the afternoon.

Once the Whites had to head out, we swapped houses and finished off some Christmas Dinner leftovers at the Weil’s that they will still be eating come Easter 😉.

We had a late flight home and ended up not getting in until 3 am. Then by the time we got ready for bed and settled down, it was close to 5 am. 😩

Sunday, December 31, 2023

No surprise that we slept until noon!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best sleep so we were kind of zombies through our chores getting ready for the next week and making sure we had clothes and food.

We did get another episode of Santa Clause Season 2 in, but I was asleep through the second and we decided to call it quits.

Then we topped off the end of the year by going to bed by 9:00 pm trying to ignore all the neighbor’s fireworks. Yay for getting old! 😩

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Thank you for joining us through our adventures this year. Hopefully, next we will have even more fun in the Phoenix area, seeing all the sights and enjoying any company.

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Happy Holidays from Shanda and Nathan! 🎄⛄