Christmas 2012

This Christmas season was nice, low key, quiet.  I never even got all my decorations put up but that was ok, we didn't seem to miss them.

We started the season out with the Warrenton Christmas parade. It was the first time I had ever been to a parade that was after dark but it was fun!  Cold, but not miserable and my children seemed to enjoy it.

We had fun times decorating cookies with friends, we decorated cookies on several occasions and also decorated gingerbread sleighs, the children were loving the sugar overload!

We picked a lovely day to go cut our tree. In the interest of keeping our money local we picked a tree farm a few miles from our house.  Actually our interest was more in convenience but hey, we are also glad to keep our money local.

After days of decorating the tree, only to have little hands move all the ornaments around and clump them together, I finally gave up on having a "balanced" tree.  The good news is we only shattered a few ornaments this year and none that were significant.  Truth be told, we packed away a few very fragile, of huge sentimental value ornaments.

new ornaments in rememberance of the 2012 pigs

"hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" monkeys 

We were lucky to have the weather cooperated this year!  It snowed on Christmas Eve, then again the day after Christmas!

Christmas morning had been anticipated as only a four year old and three year old can!  Wythe had been concerned that our tree didn't have a star on top. It had a bow that I happen to really like but he was adamant that we needed a star.  He kept asking if Notch (our Elf) could tell Santa to bring a star and if he could write another letter to Santa to ask him to bring a star. So, after the kids went to bed I removed my ribbon (sniff, sniff) and replaced it with a star. Sigh.

It was worth it in the morning as that was the first thing he noticed!  In typical Wythe fashion the presents, stocking and general excitement was a little too much for him. After beginning to unload his stocking he melted and removed  himself from the festivities for awhile. We took a little break to fix coffee and breakfast and enjoyed a leisurely morning of opening presents.

checking out her loot from her stocking

enjoying her new table and Pete the Cat

enjoying some Christmas presents

You may think these were for the kids....

...but you would be wrong. It was a gift to me from my husband. He knows me so well.

'til next time...