Christmas Blogs????

When I first started blogging, I toyed with the idea of a Christmas-centric blog. I am never happier than during the holiday time of year and nothing brings me more joy than to pour through holiday decorating ideas and Christmas recipes. But I thought to myself, Who in the world would read a blog about Christmas all year round? (Who in the world reads this blog anyway?) To be perfectly honest, I do have plenty of holiday-themed posts just waiting to be published when the time is more appropriate (and most of them have been sitting in there since early August). So even though I don't publish posts about Christmas all year long, that doesn't stop me from indulging myself by writing a few.

But alas, year-round holiday blog readers do exist and I found them just a few moments ago. Some mornings I spend my time simply perusing the blogoscape, trying to find new foodies with innovative recipes or DIYers with new craft ideas or just a space full of artistic and creative inspiration. And so I can't exactly retrace for you the steps that led to me discovery today, but I am very excited to share it with you nonetheless.

First there is Holiday with Matthew Mead, from which I found the other more traditional Christmas blogs.  This October Mead is releasing a Christmas-inspiration book-azine entitled Holiday and his site is largely focused on promoting that, however he has plenty of beautiful ideas to share.

Then, there's Christmas Tree Lane. Complete with a Christmas countdown, photos of anything Christmas, musings on holiday traditions, and a few recipes throughout, this blog is sure to give you a healthy dose of the Christmas spirit anytime of year.

Deck the Halls of Home with Joy isn't devoted solely to all the celebrations surrounding December 25th, but blogger Brenda does go all out for every holiday throughout the year - and I can only wait to see what she has to share once we get closer and closer to December!

Though JingleNog Blog doesn't focus purely on Christmas or the holidays in general, the woman behind the blog, Melissa, actually designs handmade blown glass Christmas ornaments which can be viewed at her JingleNog website. And even more exciting, this is a holiday blogger with a huge heart - Melissa is as environmentally friendly as possible in her process, from production to delivery, while also giving a portion of her annual profits to various charities including Make-A-Wish, The Children's Hope Chest, and MD Anderson Children's Art Project.

This is probably my favorite of my findings today, simply because when you visit Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive, 365 you are greeted by the joyful sounds of Christmas music. You get the sounds, the sights, and the tastes of the season with this website - and I can't argue with that! I love the emphasis on DIY holiday projects, recipes, and her love of Martha Stewart Christmas because, let's face it, no one does Christmas quite like Martha.

I hope that you'll indulge me and bring a bit of the holiday spirit into your life early this year by visiting one, or all, of these fabulous websites. And let me know if there are other Christmas blogs out there that I have yet to discover!