The holiday season is always special; lots of lights, lots of presents, lots of hot chocolate and a lot of fun! This year is going to be even more special  because I am going to celebrate Christmas for the first time! 

My girlfriend and her family have graciously invited me to celebrate with them. They have lots of fun traditions I cannot wait to be a part of. My girlfriend and I have started decorating the apartment with lights, stockings and holiday tableware. She also put up a wreath on the door. 

We are also planning on putting up a tree soon. Our original plan was to go to a Christmas tree farm and buy a small Charlie Brown tree, but we quickly realized that Christmas trees in general can be a little bit pricey. So, we decided that we would pull out the artificial tree and decorate it. It already has the lights on it, but we can still put up ornaments to make it even more festive. 

I am glad that it is winter, as it gives me more opportunities to go ice skating. My girlfriend and I have been trying to go skating at Marano Campus Center, but we have only been able to go a couple of times. However, we are planning on going to the Clinton Square rink in Syracuse soon. 

I am trying to improve my skating abilities. It is a slow process. I am still trying to get used to being on the ice, but I am getting a little better each time. I finally figured out how to hockey stop: The second step towards actually playing in my future. 

Speaking of hockey, this past weekend I had the pleasure of going on a roadtrip to the North Country with WNYO. I was in Potsdam and Plattsburgh to call the Oswego State Hockey games. It was a crazy adventure.

Potsdam was not accommodating at all, which left us no choice but to not broadcast because we had no internet. On the way to Plattsburgh, I barely avoided a deer that jumped out into the road. The Oswego State Lakers defeated the #1 ranked Plattsburgh Cardinals. The atmosphere in the arena was unreal.

All of this talk of holidays and skating reminds me of how excited I am to go to Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park. It will be my girlfriend’s first time seeing the tree in person and I want to make it a special occasion. I have seen it many times with my family, but I can only imagine how it would be to see it for the first time again. 

Photo by:  Маry Elnikova  via  Pexels