December in Review

THINGS I LOVE DECEMBER

1.       Skyping with my family and with Jon

2.       Visiting friends in Shanghai and Hefei one last time :* )

3.       Hot cocoa with Baily’s and Kahlua

4.       Watching the Swan Lake ballet performed by a Russian company in Hefei's cool performance hall (it wasn't the Nutcracker, but it was still Tchaikovsky and it was still awesome!)

5.       Packing up all my stuff and getting ready to travel!

6.       Sharing Christmas traditions and candy with students

7.       My new best friends: the casts of How I Met Your Mother and Gossip Girl

8.       Double Chocolate Stout beer (found some in Shanghai and that was the gift I opened for myself on Christmas morning ; )

9.       Christmas dinner with my students’ families and with my Chinese family

10.   Christmas songs and decorations filling up my apartment

THINGS I MISS

1.       Being home for the holidays

2.       Christmas dinner, drinks and desserts

3.       Christmas cocktail parties

4.       The Christmas Ship at Richmond Beach

5.       Making Christmas cookies

6.       Watching Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story, Little Women, It’s A Wonderful Life and Elf and . . . . well, you get the idea

7.       Trying to catch Santa on the Fire truck on Christmas morning

8.       EGG NOG!!!!!!!!!!!!

9.       Get Fit With Fido (I miss running and I miss dogs . . . . )

10.   My friends and family