"Chesnuts roasting over a lit candle because there's no way a fireplace could fit in here..."

Just like last year, Brent and I decided to spend Thanksgiving in Ohio with our families, but Christmas in the city by ourselves.

I can't say that this was a decision I fully supported (what would be more accurate was it was a decision I vehemently opposed, yet understood given the nature of Brent's job and all their end-of-the-year wheelings and dealings) but when the decision was done, I decided to make the best of it.

Since our New York City apartment is not conducive to anything that requires any amount of space, Brent didn't think getting a Christmas tree would be a good idea, given that we tend to like to move around when we're home. So I improvised and promoted my tiny singing Christmas tree from table ornament to full-fledged Christmas-tree status.

And one of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was when my brother, sister, and I got into our pjs, grabbed our blankets and stuffed animals, and my parents drove us around town so we could check out all the neighborhood Christmas lights. The trip always culminated with McDonald's shakes - eggnog shakes if we were lucky.

So, in New York, I made sure I to make a few trips to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree and the lights on 5th Avenue - walking in the cold, unfortunately - followed by a Starbucks Eggnog Latte.

And although I will admit that I cried for unfortunately a very good part of the day on Christmas Eve because I felt left out from what my family was doing back in Ohio and missed them, I did have a nice, relaxing Christmas day at home celebrating the holiday with Brent and Chloe. Between spending time on the phone talking to my family, Brent and I took part in another family tradition of mine: opening gifts together in the morning, eating a big breakfast that my mom makes (in this case, it was me, and I made spectacular omelettes), and spending the afternoon lazing around and watching movies.

Chloe loved her bones and toys, and Brent loved the books I bought him (which he picked out) and also loved the hat and T-shirt I found for him, which was a first because not only does he hate surprises, he's usually not very excited about gifts that I surprise him with. (But the hat he's wearing in the photo is the one I picked out for him! Score!)

And of course, I loved the Nintendo DS I asked for from him - which I wrapped myself. Men!

So even though I couldn't spend Christmas with my parents and siblings, I was happy to spend it with my wonderful husband and pup.