I love Christmas! I love the Christmas season. I love an excuse to decorate. I want make things/moments special. If there is a tradition to keep or create, I want in!
We started off this holiday season, by heading to a Christmas tree lighting ceremony (along with what felt like 4000 other people) at the local outdoor mall.
For weeks before hand we watched them hand craft this tree. First they cut off all the branches. Cut them to proper length. Peg them and glue them back into place and then paint the whole tree green after the branches were in their proper places.
Mickey and friends were there to help bring the tree to light and also to bring all the kids (young and old) to life, as well! Lainey thought it was pure magic and enjoyed singing carols with her daddy!
Katie loved it too, but was on the brink of exhaustion so her and I snuggled while we watched the show.
It felt so backwards to do a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony before Thanksgiving, but it put me in the holiday spirit. (a pet peeve actually for me to start celebrating a holiday before one has yet to finish! Let me enjoy each one as they come for crying out loud). Even though it was utter chaos...I was in my element. The more people crammed into one small space, the better!
Thanksgiving came next and was a great day. I woke my poor husband and girls up before the crack of dawn so they could come cheer me on as I ran Dana Point's Turkey Trot. (I did run most of it...but walked a good portion too!) I really wanted to be gracious and let them stay in their warm beds, but there is something in seeing their faces cheer me on when I rounded a corner that made the race so much more fun!
We then headed down to be with my husband's handsome family for a fantastic meal. The afternoon was full of aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's kiddos. I feel so blessed to have married into a family similar to mine that enjoy being with one another. The only difference is that the Coltman family photos look like the one above. The Wallace family photos try for more of a comic relief!
Why wouldn't you pack your whole family into a hot tub in their pajamas for a family photo! It's awesome!
We finished off the Thanksgiving weekend by putting up our own tree and decorating the house for Christmas!
Lainey helped Chad hang the lights on the tree. (I'm thankful this was his year to have to do that awful chore!)
We even found old Christmas poppers and broke them all open to enjoy the toy and paper crowns inside while we decorated.
I am really excited (or as my family says "nervous nervous nervous") for December 1st. My brother dropped off the girl's advent gift bags this morning and it brings me back to my childhood. Growing up, my grandmother would send each of us kids a bag of 24 small gifts. One a day to open until Christmas day. It would be stuff like stickers, paper, candy bars, etc. AND IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!!! There were years that I would get zealous and open more than one a day, which made it so I was not allowed to house the gift bag in my room any longer.
My brother has generously kept the tradition alive for the next generation. Lainey is at the best age and can hardly contain her excitement in anticipation of December 1st now that the bag is in the house staring at her in the face.
It feels official! The Christmas Season is here! I even have some Christmas gifts bought and the girl's outfits ready to go.
NERVOUS NERVOUS NERVOUS**
**not exactly sure where the nervous nervous nervous started, but it was constantly said in my family leading up to exciting days like birthdays, Christmas, etc. I was in college before I realized it was weird (or inaccurate) to use the words "nervous" and "excited" interchangeably as though they shared the same meaning.
I love the advent gift bag tradition! And the nervous, nervous, nervous :)
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