list #48: small signs of Christmas

Well, the decorations are up, the store windows are lighted, the sales are on, the church is decked with evergreens and an Advent wreath. The Christmas season is in full swing, in case you hadn’t noticed. But aside from the big decorations/ads/songs/celebrations, here are a few signs of the season I notice and love each year:

1. Red Starbucks cups. I’m an indie-coffeehouse girl, but there is something about those red cups – so cheerful and comforting.
2. Twinkle lights – draped around a tree, a window or a balcony, here and there, before everyone starts putting up their lights and trees and inflatable snowmen.
3. Christmas/holiday stamps at the post office.
4. Red Macy’s bags.
5. Bath & Body Works holiday window displays (they have the BEST ones).
6. The readings in Watch for the Light, which start on Nov. 24 and so start before Advent nearly every year.
7. My hankering for spiced black tea, which grows ever stronger as Christmas approaches.
8. Mint M&Ms in the green bags.
9. Switching from leafy/pumpkin-y candle scents to cinnamon and peppermint ones.
10. My few holiday tees and snowflake pj pants. (Thank you, Old Navy.)

What little things signal Christmas to you?

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