Deck the Halls.

We've trimmed our tree...

It's a beauty...a frasier fir from North Carolina via Whole Foods.  It's probably my favorite tree we've had.  And Buck says it's super-fresh based on the huge quantities of water its soaking up.  It wasn't a quintessential tree shopping experience though.  Whole Foods was so slammed with customers that they simply couldn't keep trees opened...so there weren't the rows and rows of trees to look through.  But, we got them to open a couple and found this keeper.  Then there was the part where the kind, helpful Whole Foods employee tried to get the tree on the roof of our SUV.  I don't think he thought he'd be working on a Christmas tree lot when he went to work for Whole Foods -- I think he thought he'd be bagging organic produce, wine, and prepared foods.  He managed to slam the Christmas tree against the side of the car instead of getting it on top.  At which point, a slightly frustrated but still very polite Buck told him "I'll take it from here."  Buck added the lights while the kiddos and I were on a little fieldtrip out of the house and out of earshot of Buck during the SEC Championship football game.  And, Fawn and I decorated it.

 

We've put up our Advent calendar...



I borrowed the idea from Martha Stewart.  It was super-easy to make.  I purchased Christmas socks at the Dollar Store and white tags, ribbon, and mini clothes pins at Michael's.  I wrote the numbers 1-24 on each of the white tags and then sewed the on the socks (hanging from the toes) with white thread.  Then Buck hung the ribbon and we clipped the socks on.  Each sock has a slip of paper with a Christmas activity on it (go get a Christmas tree, decorate your tree, wear Christmas pajamas, make a Christmas sticker picture, listen to Christmas music and have a dance party, go to Zoolight Safari, make cookies for Santa, make reindeer food, decorate mini Christmas trees, make a birthday cake for Jesus, etc.)

 

And our Magic Elf has returned bringing us Christmas goodies like pajamas...

 

The elf that Santa sends us is just like the elf that came to my house when I was a little girl.  He doesn't arrive until we have a Christmas tree for him to live in.  Then we have to sprinkle him with magic dust to make him come to life.  He loves to bring us Christmasy things for our enjoyment during the holidays (a new ornament, pajamas, a Christmas CD, Christmas coloring books/stickers/etc., ingredients to make Christmas goodies, red and green Playdoh, and Christmas books).