"Kickoff to Christmas"

I usually wait until December to set up the Christmas decorations. This year has brought a new twist to our tradition. With Elisabeth away at school, I still wanted her to be able to particpate in decorating the tree, so we adopted an idea that I read on someone's blog (I can't remember where). We had a "Kickoff to Christmas" tonight. We set the tree up (No small feat with our stand broken. I hope you don't notice the string tied to the windows! Classy.) and decorated it with our traditional ornaments we've collected through the years. Emma really got into the decorating. Jake kept us laughing. It was a fun time. Hopefully, our tree will stay standing for one more season -- broken stand and all.

Then we had hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy canes.

The kids drew names for Christmas presents. We talked about some fun things we were going to do this month to enjoy the season. We talked about some things we could do for others this year. We have been so blessed this year that we feel the need to do for others so we are thinking of things to do. I told the kids that since I have tried to focus on what I am thankful for over the past few weeks, I have realized just how blessed we are. So, just as the song goes..."Because I have been given much, I too must give." We decided to focus more on the "giving" part of Christmas. I'll let you know how this goes!

Happy Christmas Season to All!