I LOVE the Christmas music. The only two radio stations I've been listening to for about 3 weeks now are the ones that play non-stop Christmas music. And CD's... gotta love Martina's Christmas CD. And Nece... she loves her Chipmunks Christmas CD. Now, do I love that one... NO, but do I enjoy listening to it with the girls. You Bet!
The Lights! I certainly do NOT love the ridiculousness of some houses. But I will say, I do enjoy driving through the neighborhoods with the kids and looking at the lights. The more the better... according to a certain 3 year old. I do kind of have to agree. We've asked daddy to put lights up outside, and the exact wording of the response was "as soon as you decide we don't have to travel every single Christmas, I will put lights up outside for you ladies." Point taken, and that day may come sooner rather than later.
The shopping! Great deals. You just have to know when to hit the malls and there are no problems! I love to give people my lists and I love to receive lists. It's not that its impersonal and that I don't want to have to think... it just takes the stress away and you know you are giving somebody something they really want. If you give a big list, it's still a surprise!
Baking! I love baking and I love baking with my girls! This year I attempted a gingerbread house with the girls. Nope, not going to do that again... kind of like cut out cookies. My girls will never experience that with me. I did it once, and I won't do it again. We also had a marathon Saturday afternoon/evening of baking. I made cranberry-orange nut bread (yum), Oreo Balls, GingerSnaps (see the 'hot dogs' below), Grandma I's brownies, and Hazelnut cookies with Nutella topping in one day. This past weekend, I made peanut butter balls. YUMMY to all of those.
And you are wondering, what do we do with all those goodies? It has become tradition to give them to our neighbors as their Christmas present. They love the baked goods and I love to get them out of the house!
Santa- Toro hosts a Christmas party for kids most years, and this year was no exception. The kids get a treat, arts and crafts, games and a visit with Santa. This year, I was able to bring Mya along with Mona for assistance... I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Giving- I have the opportunity to give bacways throughout the holiday season and it truly makes me appreciate everything that I have. Family, Friends, Health. There are so many people out there that don't have the ability to put a little gift under the tree for their children, put food on their table or don't have families to share the holiday season with or don't have their health. Something so simple, but in many makes you feel so worthy... ringing the Salvation Army bell. This is a tradition that I cannot wait to start with my girls. We will do this as a family as they get older... and I jump at the opportunity to do it every year through work. Truly making a difference. We also try to give every time we go in and come out of a store- teaching the true meaning of giving is better than (or just as important as receiving). Adopt-A-Family... the need is so great this year. This is another opportunity that I'm blessed to be a part of. Once again, through work, we adopt a family and help them provide. The gifts were dropped off today and words cannot even describe the gratitude of these families. To know that I've helped give them presents under the tree for their kids, provided food for their table and to give a mom a little luxury she would never be able to afford. My hope and wish one day is for our family to Adopt-A-Family... give back and bless others with a little bit of what we have. It breaks my heart to see the statistics and I wish I was able to do more... but I know deep down that every little bit counts and just a tiny donation can make a world of difference to somebody out there.
And the season in general... It's so much fun to live out the experiences you remember as a child through the eyes of your child. I look forward to many more holiday seasons with family and friends!
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