{1 Photo: 32 Days} Part 1

I feel like I need to preface this post with a disclaimer.  I love December.  Everything about it.  What's not to love?  Twinkling lights, pine garlands, sparkling Christmas trees, candles in the windows, nightly baking traditions, lots of holiday gatherings, old fashioned B&W Christmas movies, a nonstop Christmas playlist on Pandora, and an abundance of cheer.  Yes, people may be stressed and frazzled, pulled in too many directions, but there is so much GOOD in the month that it's easy to get a little dazed and distracted by it all and allow yourself to just soak it up and enjoy the merry and bright month that only comes once a year. The Danish people have a word that embodies the concept of all things warm, fuzzy, and comforting:  hygge.  It's a light-hearted concept that they take very seriously, striking the perfect balance between satisfaction and feeling self-satisfied, finding hygge while sitting beside a fireplace in a warm, wooly sweater and sipping on some delicious Danish drink while surrounded by friends and good conversation.  Can you tell now why Denmark is on my bucket list for stamps in my passport?  Basically, the Danes embrace my high-on-December attitude year-round, which is something I think we should all aspire to do.

On that note, here's a creative way I've found to approach the contented state of hygge this season...

There is this amazing website for photographers (professionals, amateurs, shutter clickers, and everyone in between!) called I Heart Faces.  I discovered the site a couple of years ago for their weekly and monthly photo challenges.  This December they posted a photo-a-day challenge with the idea that participants will post one photo each day related to a specific daily theme.  Me being me (the one who is filled with Christmas cheer, dazed by twinkling lights, and all around cheery throughout the month of December).... well, let's just say I was ALL OVER this challenge when I read about it.

december i heart faces challenge

It hasn't been easy finding the time to take and submit a photo every day, but I've managed to make it halfway through the 32 day challenge so far.  I'm quite pleased!  You should check out the other submissions on their I Heart Faces Facebook page for a bit of holiday inspiration.

So here you go, my month in photos.

{Day 1: me}

{Day 1 - me}

{Day 2: elf}

{Day 2 - elf}

{Day 3: what you're reading}  This is one of my all-time favorite and most inspiring quotes from Mary Oliver: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

2012-12-152

{Day 4: shadow play}  Okay, so maybe I cheated here and found an older photo.  This was taken last February on my birthday, an unseasonably warm day that I decided to get in my car and head to the beach.  Beachy, wintry shadows?  I'll take it!

2012-12-153

{Day 5: someone I love}   Another old photo, this one of my best friend's son, Zachary.  Check out her blog here.

{Day 5 - someone i love}

{Day 6: burst of red}  I couldn't decide and I had two entries for this one.  The first is from Provincetown.  The second is from Saratoga on a nighttime adventure in search of a burst of red in their quaint little city.

2012-12-15

{Day 7: the view from here}  And this show why I find Saratoga so quaint and beautiful!  I literally stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the road, mesmerized by the lights.  It's like stepping onto the set of It's a Wonderful Life.  That little house up there?  That's Santa's house.  No, seriously, that's where the kids go to sit on Santa's lap and write him cute little letters.  So sweet.  Every town should have one of those.

{Day 7 - the view from here}

{Day 8: shopping}

{Day 8 - shopping}

{Day 9: decorated}

{Day 9 - decorated}

{Day 10: stripes}  Wrap me up in Christmas lights and call it a night!

{Day 10 - stripes}

{Day 11: on the shelf}

{Day 11 - on the shelf}

{Day 12: sweet}  Wednesday night baking adventures commence!

{Day 12 - sweet}

{Day 13: 'tis the season}  Shaped bokeh.  Again, I am ALL OVER that!!!  No house in my neighborhood is safe from my camera. If you put lights up, they are just begging to be photographed!

2012-12-151

{Day 14: B&W}  Sweet little Genevieve, a beautiful little snow angel.

{Day 14 - B&W}

{Day 15: something yum}

{Day 15 - something yum} (1 of 1)

So there you be.  That's my December, so far.

And if you want to read another post that made me burst out laughing time and time again, check out Kelle Hampton's post about her cup o' cheer holiday season.  The part about the Christmas village and 50 shades of good stuff happening up in that little village inn?  Yeah, she embraces the hygge, too.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: Letter "B"

Have you heard of the website "I Heart Faces"? Check it out!  They have wonderful tutorials and guest bloggers, and their site is jam-packed with some of the most gorgeous photos you will ever see.  This community of photographers has a monthly photo contest focusing on a theme.  April's theme is the letter "B".  I have so many photos to choose from, but decided to go with this recent angelic shot featuring my beloved sunbursts.

Image

Beams of sunshine and bright baby blue peepers.

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

<a href="http://www.iheartfaces.com/"><img title="I Heart Faces Photo Challenge Submission" src="http://www.iheartfaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/I-Heart-Faces-button.jpg" alt="Photo Challenge Submission" /></a>