Christmas Eve Proposal :)

CleMel2011

My boyfriend, John, and I both share a love for the holiday season and the holiday spirit that accompanies it. While growing up in Santa Monica, my close friends and I would circle the neighborhood in search of the extravagant lights and Christmas displays that each house has to offer during this time of year. There was always one particular house that stood out to us and left such a lasting impression, that we would leave an anonymous note every year telling the owners of the house how they had made our Christmas. This has become a yearly tradition up until this very day.

While searching Santa Monica for Christmas lights and displays together in early December of 2010, I showed John this exact house and told him the story behind it. He remembered.

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house and after the festivities were over, John insisted that we drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. I eagerly obliged, and the two of us spent a half hour wandering up and down the streets, rating the houses. We finally came across the infamous house that brings a smile to my face at the mere thought of. John encouraged me to leave the note that I typically do every year; however, I was a bit hesitant as I noticed a few people outside the house and didn't want to disturb their family's Christmas Eve. We decided to do it quickly, and as we approached the mailbox to insert the note, I noticed a letter addressed to myself on the front door of the house. 

At that moment, I asked John what was going on and proceeded to read the note amidst my shocked and flustered state. Please keep in mind that the note was written by John, in his small, chicken-scratch cursive writing, front and back. Before I had a chance to finish the note, Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" starts playing from inside the house and resonated throughout the front yard. John pulls me back a few steps to clearly see the upstairs balcony, which held an enormous lit-up Christmas tree with a sign in front of it displaying "Will You Marry Me?" in big, bold letters. 

John gets on one knee and proposes! Turns out the owner is a filmmaker and caught the whole proposal on tape, which we can now share with everyone - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWUBvLqlYIE. 

It was a truly unbelievable and magical experience for both of us that will make future holiday seasons even more meaningful.