Christmas: A Preview

The Big Guy arrived.
There were smiles and giggles and looks of awe.
There was one little girl who was sure she saw Rudolph's bright nose out her window.
There was happiness and joy and laughter and laziness.
There was ham and macaroni and cheese and blueberry pie.
There was a game of Mad Gab that made me laugh so hard I spewed soda out my nose.

It was a wonderful Christmas and I have a million photos to prove it. But you'll have to wait. For now...here's some of the highlights around the house, leading up to the big day.

I love to see the how the girls play with the nativity scene. This year, the wise men appeared to be "having words" (Can't you just hear them saying: "Dude, I thought you were bringing the gold. No man, I brought the Myrhh, didn't you bring the gold?"). Ha! And then there was the baby Jesus, who made a grand entrance on a camel (I laughed so hard when I saw it. Ellie was pretty proud of herself). We spent a lot of time this year talking about Jesus and the importance of Christmas. Despite the crazy nativity scene, I think the girls really got it, which made my heart happy!
We made Christmas crafts... And hung the cards...

And decked the halls...
And welcomed Mistletoe the Elf back to our home for a month.

I love the weeks leading up to Christmas. The decorating, the crafts, the cookies, the traditions, the church services, the lights, the songs, the books. I love it all and will miss it...until next year, when we get to do it all again!