Christmas Festivities

 We are putting our advent calendar to good use this year.  It's quite possible that I wait until the night before each day to decide what to put in each little slot--how much time we have to devote to each Christmas activity determines what we are able to do.  Some days it's just singing a Christmas song that we have time for--but thankfully my ladies think even that is the most amazing thing ever.  They LOVE moving the candy cane from one day to the next and finding out what fun activity we get to do each day.  I love their enthusiasm this year.  They are totally into things and it's so fun.  Red (elf) has made his appearance, and after seeing him drinking from a straw, roasting marshmallows, watching a movie with Barbie, etc--Sage is convinced he is alive.  She gives him a wide berth and REALLY keeps her distance.  But loves him, too.  They love looking for him each morning.  We took them to the dollar store tonight to pick out gifts for each other and for a few special people.  Charlotte had a hard time -- she didn't quite understand why she wasn't getting to pick anything out for herself.  But she had fun picking out for other people.  Sage was in heaven and really thought about what each person on her list would really like.  It was precious.  We love driving them around at night to look at lights.  Even the smallest sting of lights on a tree gets the most enthusiastic "oooohhhhh it's so beautiful!" out of them.  Every. Single. House.  It's awesome.  I sure love these three.

 Before I had kids, I was not a fan of trinket type ornaments.  But now I'm pretty sure my big tree will eventually be theirs to decorate.  I LOVE pulling out the ornaments they make each year and seeing how excited they get about each one.  I'm pretty sure I'll be that person who has boxes full of hand print ornaments from all of their kids from every single year.  And I'll cry when they break.

 Our entryway set up.  Christmas overload!

 Playing piano with grandpa while grandma sets up the tree

The girls had a ball decorating the tree.  We had probably 20 bulbs at the very bottom of the tree and one or two at the top.  I might have snuck in later after they went to bed to re-arrange.  I LOVED their expressions when we had them turn around to see the tree lit for the first time.  So sweet.

 Santa's little helper.  Or destroyer.  Whichever.