It's Time to Play the Music, It's Time to Light the Lights

I wonder what's in here?

I get the bottom half...

The holiday season is firmly upon the Brown household and once again we are working to catch up.

How does it get to be mid-December so quickly after Thanksgiving?!

We are now only a week away from Christmas - too much, too soon, too little time. 

Even though we feel like we are constantly being overwhelmed by events we have been busy. The first good news is that we got our Christmas Cards out. Wow. I think we set a record on how early the majority of them hit the post office. Good teamwork.

Next: outdoor lights are out. . . Rich started the process in November. We made an agreement that it would be much more pleasant to hang them when it was 65 degrees in Novemember as long as we didn't turn them on until after Grant's birthday. So we waited. Yet, the yard still seems to be a work in progress. TJ quickly exclaimed that he wanted as many lights as our neighbor. Sigh. If you ask mom, the neighbor crosses the line toward tacky, but for a 4 year old, I guess tacky is cool. So, mom acquiesced. There are now glowing snowman heads around our tree. . . and worst yet, they change color. Ugh!

The other major accomplishment is that we put up the tree! TJ was a big help this year with the hanging of the ornaments. He wanted to touch each and every one of them. Grant even did his part by trying to hang one of his toys on the tree. It was really quite cute. . .he crawled over and lifted up onto his knees while reaching toward the tree with his little wobble toy. Its like he knew what we were doing and he wanted to take part too.

Dad get's the top half.

He puts 'em up and I take 'em down.

Next, we made the ever important visit to see Santa. This year we went to Fort Bragg. TJ was a little shy at first sight, but when it was his turn he went right up to Santa and got on his lap. He knew the drill. He posed for a picture and then talked to Santa. Not so sure what words were exchanged, but I am pretty sure that TJ asked for bey blades, a laser truck (whatever that is), and bakugans. Then it was Grant's turn. At first, he had a deer in the headlights look of "where am I and who is this dude with the beard?" and then the tears came. He was not too happy being separated from daddy so quickly. We did the best we could with a picture and let it go with that. And we went to see Santa so TJ could tell him what he wanted and Grant could cry at the man with the white beard and big red suit.  Plus lights are up on the outside of the house (but we did that in mid-November).

This year, we are attempting a new tradition. . . a Christmas Eve gathering with the neighbors (yes, even the ones with the tacky lights). Cookies, cocoa, and a reading of the "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." We hope to even try some caroling. And Lisa already is scheming a day when the boys are a bit older to arrange a door-to-door caroling tradition too.

So, with a few days left until the big day, a lot of things are checked off our list. . . but some big things still remain. But isn't it always that way come Christmas?

In case you don't hear from us sooner, Merry Christmas and may the blessings of God be upon you in the New Year!