С Рождеством!!!

It's here!!! This morning, at approximately 7:30 am, I indulged in the final chocolate from my advent calendar! She looked lovely, and tasted equally fabulous.

I then lugged my suitcase across the frozen tundras of Moscow to the marshrut, through the metro at peak hour, and made it to my last Russian class only slightly the worse for wear.

In said suitcase: 1 running shirt, and 1 running jacket. Snow or not, temperatures at home are warmer than Moscow's offerings, and I will be hitting the pavement! Everything else? Christmas fun! I'm effectively playing Santa and taking back Christmas goodies to America for the families of several of my expat friends here in Moscow. And I did a little Christmas shopping myself...finally!

I don't know what stores you hit up this year, but here's where I made my one-stop shopping trip:

Izmailovsky Market. The temple of all Russian souvenir shopping in Moscow.

But then, why are the streets almost completely void of people?! ANSWER: It. Was. SO. COOOLLLDDD!!!! Literally, I cannot recall a colder moment of my existence. Which actually made it all the more memorable.

Trouble finding the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person? Or for anyone, for that matter? We have enough matryoshkas to go around! It's what that special someone has secretly been longing for.

If a matryoshka's not really your thing...first of all, who ARE you?!? But moving along. A close second for consideration: the fur hat. Rock it. Gift it. It's big. It's bold. And most importantly, it's warm. I have yet to buy fur here people. But the thought has crossed my mind many a chilly moment. I've never really understood the fur fashion. I do know. And it's called survival, NOT fashion.

Post-shopping, the only preparation left for the big day was relaxation and taking in a hefty dose of Christmas spirit. And what better way to do so than play in a Christmas concert? I think my hands were almost warm by the time we finished...

Pictured post-concert with my friend Nastya, also known as my Russian sister. She's one of my girls here in Moscow, and we've heard that we look like sisters more times than I can count at this point. Your opinion?

So there you have it! I've shopped. I'm packed. I'm Christmas-spirited up! And now I'm going to celebrate the LONGEST Christmas Day I have ever known!

36 hours spread across 11 time zones and 3 of my favorite cities: Moscow, Paris, and Alpine, Utah!!! A 5 am taxi, 5:30 am train, 8:20 am flight, 16 hours in the air, and at the end of the day, I arrive HOME right around 2 pm. That, my friends, is the beauty of time travel!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!