I did it you guys! I made it through finals week and I am so proud to say that I am finally done with this semester! I know that I've been a bit inconsistent with posting over the past two weeks, but that stops now. I'm so excited to have some free time to blog and bake and spend with all of my friends and family!

With that said, I am almost too excited for Christmas this year! Today I wanted to kick off a series of Christmas-themed posts I have planned until the 25th. So today you get a look at what I'm wishing for this year. 'Tis the season to be materialistic! Over the past few months, I have been keeping track of every item I could ever want to waste money on by compiling a virtual wish list via Pinterest. Take a peek!

1. Tickets to Lady Gaga's artRave: the ARTPOP Ball Tour.

Most of you know that know me in real life know that I'm obsessed with pop music, and even more obsessed with Lady Gaga. I've been so lucky to see her live five times already and even got the chance to meet her at one of her concerts. Since she's not coming to New Orleans, I'm hoping for tickets to her concert in Houston next July!

2. Nike Free 5.0 Shield Running Shoe

I've been wearing the same pair of running shoes to the gym since I was still in high school. My current pair have become so worn out and I am just waiting for the day that they fall apart mid-run. I'm pretty sure that they've clocked a thousand miles and been soaked in gallons of sweat by now. I figured that if I needed a new pair, I wanted something simple, but still with a little flash of flamboyance — check out that reflective leopard pattern!

3. Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook

Momofuku Milk Bar is one of my absolute favorite bakeries in New York, if not the world. (Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery and Levain are also pretty high up there.) The first time I went to Momofuku I was totally depressed and I decided to quite literally binge eat Birthday Cake Truffles in my bed. I've been craving them ever since and I'd really love to give some of Christina Tosi's eccentric recipes a try in my own kitchen!

4. Marc Jacobs Metal Wrapper iPhone Case

Simply because I've had the same phone case since last Christmas and this one is pretty and shiny!

5. Fiori di Sicilia and Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion

I've been eyeing these two extracts up for a couple of months now. Both are apparently some of the best not-so-secret additions to take your desserts to the next level. Fiori di Sicilia is a delicious mixture of vanilla, almond, and the best citrus. The Princess Emulsion is supposedly amazing too!

6. A kitchen scale.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many times that I have been browsing through recipes when I find one that really catches my eye and I scroll down to see all of the ingredients measured out in grams. Grams?!? Damn you, metric scale! I used to have a kitchen scale, but it broke a while back and I'm just craving the perfect macarons so I need something to help me get more precise measurements!

7. Michael Kors Oversized Runway Watch

Because I have panic attacks in class when there are no clocks and my phone can't be on. And yes, I actually turn my phone off in class. I'm sorry for being paranoid, but with my luck, my phone would be the one to ring accidentally in my pocket if the teacher had strict policies about having your phone on in class.

All of that aside, isn't this watch beautiful?!

8. iPad Mini

I am absolutely in no way expecting to get this for Christmas, but I think I'm going to purchase one afterwards. I don't know about you guys, but I love having my recipes always at my fingertips when I am in the kitchen baking something. Sure, I could print them out, but why waste all of that paper right? #firstworldproblems