Christmas Time is Here [Oxford Style]

I used to be a "Christmas-After-Thanksgiving-Purist." I would adamantly say that you could not listen to Christmas music, put Christmas decorations up, or bake Christmas goodies until after Thanksgiving.

Not anymore.

Not anymore at all. 

Don't get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving. I think we should all celebrate Thanksgiving and celebrate it well. But I am not a Christmas-after-Thanksgiving purist anymore. I think my mission cured that out of me, actually. Christmas isn't as big of a deal in Ukraine, so I got rather lonesome for all of the Christmas lights, decorations, and general cheer.

So now, I am all for Christmas whenever I feel in the mood for it.

But especially when it starts getting cold.

Oxford is on my side. They celebrate Christmas early here because all of the students go home around December 12th/13th. So all of the Christmas parties have to happen earlier.

Also, Thanksgiving really isn't a big deal here (strange, I know--you'd think it was an American holiday or something). So there isn't a holiday in between Halloween and Christmas. It's just Christmas. All the time. Everywhere.

This Friday was the Oxford's "Light Up the Night" celebration. (Or something like that--I called it the Twinkle Light Celebration, but I doubt that is it's official name. Just a guess.)

I was absolutely giddy. I felt like I was 7 again. There were Christmas lights and music and parades and markets and just a beautiful feeling of excitement and cheer in the air.

[Christmas on the streets.]

[Christmas in the Palace.]

[Christmas in the hall.]

[Christmas on her head.]

[Christmas on his head.]

[Christmas on the table.]

[Christmas hedgehog on the table.]

[Christmas in the library.]

[Christmas on my face.]

[Christmas in the courtyard.]

[Christmas in our hearts.]

Christmas is everywhere. On the streets of Oxford, at Blenheim Palace, and on my playlists.

Good tidings of comfort and joy.