Christmas, Christmas Time is Here

Madi is so in to Christmas this year, it has been really fun. She has been talking about Santa and visiting Santa since July! And once Halloween was over, to her, it was Christmas time. So, last weekend when we told her we were putting up the tree, she was so excited!! I put the tree up and it only takes five minutes, it's pre-lit and all the branches are attached, super easy to put up and plug in. Unfortunately, our poor tree had some major electrical issues this year. But it was so funny and so precious. Madi was standing in front of the tree when I plugged it in. Only two little sections of lights came on but Madi's reaction could only come from the innocence of a child! "WOWWW, it's like magic!" She didn't care that not all the lights came on, she was in total awe. Priceless!!

We tried to get the lights working but it just didn't work. We would replace one bulb and it would flicker on and then pop another bulb. Totally not safe to even try and fix. Luckily I had bought an extra tree last year on Black Friday and had a back up. I took my $20 tree out of the box and Chris' reaction was "Nice Charlie Brown tree Amy!" It looked very sad and thin. But with a lot of fluffing of the branches, it looks really nice now. Madi decorated our Charlie Brown tree all by herself this year. She was so proud of herself and it looks amazing!! I especially love that all the decorations are on the bottom two rows of branches! I could just eat her up, she is so darn cute! I did end up adding some balls to the top part of the tree just to finish it off. But every day she asks for more decorations to put on the tree.





Now the tree is up and every day this week when she would get up in the morning and at nap time, she comes out to the tree and says "No presents yet? When is Santa going to leave the presents?" After telling her several times in terms that she doesn't understand yet, I finally got the advent calendar made. I've seen a lot of neat ideas and different ways to do advent calendars. But I just don't have any time to do any crafty things this year. I remember making a Santa and filling in his beard with cotton balls to countdown to Christmas when I was younger. So that's what I made and she loves it! Except now she keeps asking every night if she can put all of the cotton balls on. I don't know if she wants to fill it all in because she likes to put the cotton balls on or if she has caught on yet that once it is all filled in, it is Christmas day. That's what I remind her every evening that when it is filled in then it will be Christmas day and Santa will come that night with gifts. Then we count the open spots.



We went shopping last weekend and saw Santa at Wal-Mart while we were there. Madi will see a toy or something she wants and she'll say "I wish I had that." And I'll tell her she needs to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas, we are not buying toys this close to Christmas. So she went and sat with Santa and told him what she wanted and got her picture taken and got a candy cane. She was very excited. I asked her what she told Santa she wanted for Christmas. "I told him I want a sewing machine and he wants to give me a doll! But he didn't give me what I wanted." I had to laugh, she thought he was going to give her her gifts right then! I told her Santa is making his list of things to bring all the kids. He will bring your gift and leave it under the tree. So cute! The only thing she is consistent with that she wants is the sewing machine so that is the only thing she told Santa she wanted. He said that's a new one, do you want a doll too? So she asked for the sewing machine and thinks that Santa also wants to give her a doll!! Maybe I better pick up a doll too, just in case she remembers that!!



This evening we are going to go to the mall and maybe visit Santa there and pick a name off the Angel Tree. I have done the Angel tree the past couple of years but this year Madi will be able to understand what we are doing and help pick something out. I think it is important to not focus only on the receiving part of Christmas but also the giving. That is the fun part of Christmas and also the most memorable. Being able to help others. And I want her to have those kinds of good values.

Love, Amy