I hung our Christmas lights the day after Thanksgiving. Not necessarily because of any Christmas urges- but because it was such a mild and sunny day. Determining not to freeze my digits off, I grabbed the bull by the horns. And let me just say...hanging Christmas lights on a 45 degree day is just downright pleasant.
The children helped me haul all the Christmas boxes/bins from the Granary and then everyone SCATTERED except this little elf:
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| "Mamaaaaa....I'm not an elf!" |
She wasn't a helping elf but more of an overseer. A nibbling overseer.
As you will see later...you gets it from no where strange.
On the first day of Advent we have our Trim the Tree Party.
It is one of the only 'Just Our Family' parties every year which in some ways make it even more special.
But the most special part of the trim the tree party is the food! We splurge on 'treat' foods we don't get throughout the year. The one rule is- it has to be eaten by finger or toothpick.
Cashews. Little Smokies. Fancy peppers and grapes. Gouda cheese. Eggnog. And...wait for it... spray from a can whipped cream! Woot Woot! I also made meatballs, which we do get throughout the year but not enough to lose the special factor.
It was even more delicious this year thanks to the kind generosity of friends who give delicious pity gifts to girls with broken arms. We got decadent fudge, amazing chocolate chip cookies, Chex mix, and spinach artichoke dip with a bag of pitas. OH MY!
(I wonder who could break their arm NEXT December?)
We always have an eggnog toast to get things started...
And then the fun begins...
Oh look...a few more 'overseers'. (I told you- no where strange.)
Don't let him fool you- he put the first ornament on and the last ornament on and called it a day.
We all have our favorite ornaments...
Ineke got her footprint made into an ornament to hang this year. We have one for each of the children hanging.
Adele's favorite:
Ineke loves to play with the jingle bells on pipe cleaners.
I remember when two little hands laboriously cut bits of pipe cleaner to make that ornament.
But, Miriam, you'll have to tell your dad one of our favorites has to be this one:
One of the best parts of getting the Christmas stuff out is...
getting reacquainted with old friends.
Oh look! Someone left some bread and grapes out for the birds. Yes, they did look rather emaciated.
Now the house is shiny and sparkled up. Just the way I like it.
And just in time for St. Nicholas...
5 comments:
Wonderful traditions! When your children are all grown they'll remember the fun times and closeness that you are developing. Keep up the good work.
My favorite part of this post? The overseers! I have a bunch of those too and I'm glad I'm not the only one. Beautiful tree!
We do the cookies and not chocolate when we decorate the tree. Traditions are fun,and bring family together. Mine are ages 13 and above. You never know what mean8ng traditions hold until you miss one. Blessings, Christina
My dad loved it! I was totally caught off guard when I saw my name. :D
I especially like those pictures of the egg nog toast with the littlest raising her glass. It's so fun when they're big enough to enjoy the pomp and circumstance we wrap around this Holy Day! She looks like she's fully entering into it all.
And do your Christmas books make it back to the basket? We have a basketful of Christmas books brought down from the attic crawlspace, and, more often than not, they're scattered EVERYWHERE. This is the life!
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