It Has Begun

The holidays.

In the Anderson household, it has begun.

With Thanksgiving this week and Michigan Ave. now lit,

there's just no way I can hold back any longer!
Celebration central, right here.
So much so that it scares Neal a little bit, wink. 

The day before our inaugural holiday celebration date, which was to be Friday, a romantic surprise swooped in and surprised me.

If you think about it, the element of surprise is integral to Christmas traditions,

so it seems just perfect that this year's holidays started out with one.

Thursday night, I walked into our home office around 5:30 where Neal was on hold with the phone company.

We exchanged a few words, and then he said, "Oh, by the way, go put on something nice."

"What?"

On Thursday nights, we have our church small group, so I had been about to get ready.

When Neal interrupted me, through confused questions on my part, and amused answers on Neal's, 

I found out that we were in fact not going to small group, but instead going out on a romantic dinner date.

What's better, when the whole story came out, I found out that the guys in our small group had together planned this scheme and would all be surprising their wives and taking them out that night instead of to small group.

It all made me smile big.

Neal took me up Wells St. where we had a candlelight dinner at Orso's (remember this?) and dessert next door at Kilwin's candy shop.

The Old Town lampposts were draped in Christmas garlands and I saw a few beautiful Christmas trees in storefronts which sent me squealing.

As I said, it has begun.

{Timeless picture}  

Of a man waiting for a woman to get ready

 {Orso's} 

Bread & oil, Caprese salad, and Chicken Parmigana

{Kilwin's}

Dark chocolate turtle candy for me and peanut brittle for hubby

This night was the best feeling I've had in a long time, really.

It made my heart and my senses swirl with the magic of the holiday season and spending special time with ones I love.

What little surprise could you create for a special someone this year- a daughter, a son, a husband, a wife, a friend?

Surprises are part of the spirit and the sweetness of the season.
Happy celebrating!