say cheese photos: Visions of Sugar Plums

I put up my Christmas tree last weekend. It didn't take long.

My tree -- which I've had for a few years now -- is a tiny, artificial, three-foot tree that came with its lights already strung. Although I can't wait until I have a decent sized tree (not quite practical for my Brooklyn apartment) or a live tree (not doable since I go to Wisconsin for Christmas), I still manage to get pretty thrilled at the prospect of decorating my itsy-bitsy-fake tree. Most of my ornaments have been collected during my globe-trotting adventures, so hanging them up on my tree not only gets me into the festive spirit, but also reminds me of the far-away places I've been.

If you have noticed any trend in my posting (or lack thereof), it's that I've been really busy with work the last couple of months. I feel like my days have been reduced to going to the office, working late, then coming home and working even later on my laptop. This leads to a very disgruntled, uninspired Kristen. So, to try to counteract this bad temperament, I've been trying to post more (three posts in December already!) and take more photos. Even if those photos are simply ones taken of my tiny Christmas tree at 1:30 in the morning, hypothetically speaking of course.

Although these are not the crispest photographs, I think there is something cool about the ethereal, semi-abstract quality of these shots. The sublime bokeh affect really creates a dreamy feeling, when combined with the colorful glow of the Christmas lights.