^ pistachio cupcakes with peppermint frosting, for a christmas party last year

for most of my life i’ve been a christmastime cynic. those annoying songs on the radio. commercialism. the contradictory nature of the santa claus myth with parenting values (actually i haven’t gotten over this one. creepy man giving kids gifts?). but over the past few years i have come to love the christmas season (much to the credit of love actually). sure there are things to criticise, but when i let myself actually enjoy the season instead of being too cool for it, christmastime became one of my favourite parts of the year. after all, tis the season for fairy lights, for specialty hot drinks – and let’s not forget – it is a time to be happy with friends and family. ★