Christmas in September?

For some reason I can't get Christmas off of my mind. I keep seeing something cute online or in a store and I'm thinking "oh! I should get something like that for so-and-so for Christmas." I haven't bought anything yet but I'm not sure why I've started thinking about it so early this year. Maybe the way the season is starting to change has me in holiday mode or something.

One thing I've been thinking about especially is that this will be our first holiday season as a married couple. The reality is we will be spending most of the time at my mom's house or with family and friends, but I still feel the need to make it extra special because it is our first. The problem is, how do I do that? I've never had to host the holidays before, and to be honest it makes me pretty nervous.

I'm hoping we will be in our new house by Christmas, but at this rate we might not be. I'm determined to make the holiday special no matter where we are, but it would be fun if it was there :)

How do you make the holidays special for you and your family? Do you join in with old traditions or make your own?