Holiday Sweetness

 

 

   Traditions are tricky.  On the one hand they are fun to look forward to and create some great memories, on the other they aren't always feasible every year and it's important to be flexible and keep the focus on fun and time together.  I think we have done a good job with that this year.  We added some new things and have kept some of the traditions from the years before, modifying for our new  ages and members of our family!  One thing I love to do is make a gingerbread house.  I realized last year that it might be a good idea to make some extra gingerbread to snack on while we assembled the house.  I mean, we can't be eating the roof if we expect to have a sturdy house, and besides homemade gingerbread men are much tastier than the stuff from the kit!  So one night last week after Sister was dreaming of sugarplums... Peanut and I got busy in the kitchen and whipped up some dough.  We used a new recipe and it's a keeper.  Not too spicy but a nice and gingery with a hint of orange.  Yum.  It was just the two of us but I took a few pics with the camera remote because I know I want pictures of these memories.
 I am resolving to get "in the shot" more this year.  I have spent lots of time taking pictures of other people with their children but have been a bit neglectful of giving this gift to my own children. Gonna do better this year.

We let the dough chill overnight and the next morning it was ready to cut.  I was surprised how well Peanut could use the cutters and transfer the cookies to the baking sheet.  

He reminded me not to take them out of the oven too early.  If you do they will run away according to one of our favorite books, The Gingerbread Baby.

 While the cookies cooled we got started on the gingerbread house. 

 Sister watching with a favorite snack of her own!

 Peanut showed lots of restraint and didn't eat any décor without asking first, but he did smell each one.

 A success!

 And here is Sister on her first Christmas Eve.  What a doll.  I can't wait to see her tomorrow morning.  I'm sure she will have plenty of help unwrapping. Smile.

 Have a very merry Christmas Eve friends and family and may your stockings be full in the morning!

Ornamenting

 

I love going to get our Christmas tree.  We always get it from the boy scouts and it makes me feel good to help them out as well as they have a great selection and it's close to home.  The colder it is the faster we pick one and this year we wasted no time!  Peanut spied this one the minute we entered the lot and I agreed.  Best took one loop around the lot and then confirmed that we had found our tree right here.  It was so cold that Sister and I had to wait in the car while the men finalized the sale.

Instead of buying new ornaments this year we decided to make them.  We made old fashioned salt dough ornaments and had fun cutting out the shapes and painting them.  I know through the years that these will mean so much more than anything I could ever get from the store.

 

I even made a few myself.  Although I am not a great artist, I am finding I really enjoy painting these days!

It's so fun to make "family sets" of things now.  I love these little stockings!

Mommy and Peanut put the lights on and Daddy joined us when he got home for the ornaments.

We had the Christmas music playing and it was so much fun.  Peanut felt very special as he was big enough this year to get up on a step stool.

Here he is below holding one of his favorites, a personalized hockey ornament we got for him last year at a Christmas craft show.

Sister tasted the ornaments before we hung them. 

 

 I had no idea how she would react to the tree.  I have been incredibly surprised and happy at how easy it has been.  She loves to play under and around the tree, but doesn't bother the ornaments or try to unwrap the presents that are now underneath.  Maybe because she's usually so busy being recruited by big brother to play a reindeer, train passenger, an elf, or some other bit part in his ongoing Christmas production. 

Speaking of Christmas productions, we play Polar Express every day.  And most days we read the book once or twice.  We have seen the movie a few times too, but it's much more fun to line up the kitchen chairs and act it out because then you  Peanut gets to control everything.  But I can tell you one thing for sure, he is ALWAYS the conductor.  Smile.
Hope your holiday season is filled with magic too!