It's the most wonderful time...

I love this time of year. The feel, the lights, the smells, the sounds. Even as a little girl who didn't celebrate Christmas, I always loved when my (Jewish) parents put up our Hanukkah bush. It was a fun way to stay involved in the season, even if our holiday came and went in early December. I loved sitting on the floor with my family, carefully unwrapping each ornament and smiling at the memories each trinket brought to mind.

We eventually stop setting it up because the new dog would take things off of it and run around the house. And there it sat, lonely in a bag and a box in the cold attic for at least 4 years. Until Dan and I moved back east and for the last time I sat on the ground with my mom, unwrapping ornaments, and discussing which ones I was allowed to take for our growing ornament collection. Ever year, Dan and I have gotten a bigger bush (and eventually a tree when it doesn't have to be carried 2 flights of stairs) to accommodate our growing collection of ornaments and memories. I thought I would share some of my favorite ornaments with you!

I love this rocket ship. I don't care that that it's slightly broken and has to hang weird.

You have no idea how excited I was to find a true Hanukkah ornament!

Ornament I made in pre-school!

Pretty self-explanatory. Sock with dreidels.

Newest addition: From my family's precious pup!

Dan got this from his mother...she finds the coolest ornaments!

An ode to our last name.

Passions

pas·sion

: a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something

Brewing beer
Caring for children
Playing guitar
Photography

These are just some of the passions that I see in the people around me. Delight is contageous! I can't help but smile when my husband starts talking about hops and grains. Not because I care about brewing beer, but because it's uplifting to be around people who are happy. Truly. There is a shitload of reasearch out in the world that supports that very concept. Pick up any book about happiness.

It's when Dan leaves the room that I start thinking again. Wow, he truly loves beer and the whole process involved. Is there anything I feel that way about?

Now, there are things that I wish I was passionate about:

• Running marathons
• Fashion
• Cooking

But my knees would explode, I have no idea how to dress myself, and I'm scared of the stove. Bottom line? I don't LIKE those things. But I figure that these are actual legitimate passions, better than anything I could come up with.

"I have an idea of who I wish I were,

and that obscures my understanding

of who I actually am."

-Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

"I felt like the things that other people

enjoyed were more valuable,

or more cultured...more, well, legitimate."

-Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Preach it, girl. I shouldn't feel guilty because I don't like to run marathons. Ok, I feel a little guilty, but I will never ever be the kind of person that enjoys running. I can choose what I do, but I can't choose what I like to do. Big distinction. Big revelation. Thanks, Gretch.

Still, I'm not sure that I actually have a passion. I have a couple of hobbies that I enjoy and a few causes that I think are important. But I haven't found my true passion yet. I have hope, though.