christmas booty.

imagine you are ten years old. wrapping paper corpses of packages that were, until recently, sitting beautifully underneath branches of evergreen are strewn across the living room floor. your cheeks throb from hours of smiling (at times forced smiling--grandma's christmas sweater...) and the biggest decision you have to make on this day is which is the first toy that is worthy of your attention. hours pass and what once seemed shiny and new slowly starts to lose some of its luster. you ache to run to the phone to call your best friend to compare her christmas loot with yours, but mom says it's not polite to call on christmas and you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

flash forward. you're now twenty five years old. you still have that burning desire to run to the phone to call your friends to compare christmas gifts. your mom still tells you it's not polite to call on christmas and you'll have to wait until tomorrow. but then you realize you have a bachelors degree, a masters degree and a mortgage and don't have to listen to your mom anymore. but you love her, so you do anyways. instead, you go to your computer and start to blog.

guys, i must have been good this year. like, really good. i snapped some snaps of this year's christmas haul for you to enjoy. note: i used my bro and SIL's new fancy pants camera to snap these snaps. guess what's going on next year's christmas list...

some of my loot.

more loot.

a lovely dash and albert runner for my back door/hall.

a barefoot cookbook. ohhhhh, barefoot.

some lovely mustard yellow bed sheets. love.

a funky fresh urban outfitters sweater.

a j.crew cardigan that features two of my favorite features: mustard yellow and ruffles.

i'll be feelin' fly in this navy striped nautical j.crew shirt.

these dishclothes are super cute.

new mixing/serving bowls from the lil' bro.

the sixth season of 'the office.' hilarity will ensue.

a cute little vera bradley clutch.

a lovely scarf. a girl can never have too many, you know.

i'm not exactly sure what this is, but i call it a rape light. you pull the top off of it and it will blind your assailant. watch out.

no christmas is complete without a kitchen gadget. a garlic zoom: for when you are jonesing for some garlic and want it peeled ASAP.

some games. i am such a gamer.

new headphones that i can use while i play sports. unfortunately, athletic ability is not a part of the package.

funky silver earrings that my parents found at an art fair.

oops. i included this photo twice and i don't know how to delete it. deal with it.

the yearly christmas ornament. gerty salivated when she saw this.

make up to make me less ugly.

and body products to make me less smelly.

my house and car will be less smelly, too.

i love these wooden boxes. my parents bought them in amish country this summer. hand crafted by a ninety two year old man.

some cute ikat dishes from anthropologie.

and some more cute anthro dishes. can you tell i have a thing for dishes?

i heart gift cards. anyone want to go to the movies with me?

microwave splash guards. practical.

my big bro hand-crafted this awesome cutting board for me. i covet his handiness.

a plethora of socks.

a glass water bottle. hopefully it will motivate me to consume more h2o.

my favorite scent from anthropologie. i'm sending you virtual whafts of its aroma. check your email.

some smartwool gloves. they miraculously fit all of my tiny fingers. we t-rexs struggle to find gloves that fit.

my 2011 signature scent: kate spade twirl. yummy.

all of the loot.

well, there you have it. while i am very appreciative of all of these awesome presents, i'm even more grateful for the time spent with family and friends this holiday season. i would give all of the presents back in a heart beat, but not the time i spent with my loved ones. i hope your holiday was as merry as mine.

ps...what was your favorite gift this year?