Nativity = best toy ever!

Yesterday we met Jessie & Bella at Costco to get a little Christmas shopping done. It's so funny to me that we can buy the babies Christmas presents right in front of them and they're none the wiser! It's much easier than the clandestine way I have to shop for everyone else.

I'm still working on Christmas decorating, but we do have our trees finished now. Here's the main tree:

and the boys' tree in their bedroom

the wreath on the front door

I got out the little wooden nativity set I made a few years ago, and Eva thought it was the best toy ever. She was playing with the animals and it was a cacophony of animal sounds for awhile there.

...and here's the scene as she left it.

Jill thinks we lost a week there somewhere, I think it could be more than one! Anyway, since today is somehow December 1st already, I had to dash out and buy treats to fill the advent calendar I bought at Target last year.

I'm such a sucker for holiday treats. What is it about the seasonal colors that makes them so irresistible? Anyway, I decided to try the candy cane Hershey's kisses, and I think they're surprisingly good. (white chocolate with pieces of candy cane) I'm not usually a big fan of white chocolate, but Lucas loves it, so I knew they wouldn't go to waste.


Here's a terrible photo of the advent calendar, but you get the idea. There is a little drawer for each day that you put surprises inside, and then you turn the drawer around. When all the drawers are turned around, you have a completed picture of a Christmas tree. This is probably Max & Lucas's favorite part of December. I usually put little candies and coins in the different drawers. This year I decided to put a coupon for a family movie night in one drawer, and notes from Marc and I for Christmas Eve. If I had thought of this sooner, I'm sure I could think of more things, but I'll have to save that for next year...

Sadly, Jill couldn't come for Creative Friday (sigh). So instead, I cleaned my house, did errands, readied the advent calendar, and now I'm getting ready to design my Christmas card -- finally!

I am LOVING listening to Christmas music. Right now I'm listening to the Manhattan Transfer Christmas album. There's a track called "A Christmas Love Song" that I had never really paid much attention to, even though I had listened to this album many many times. That is, until we had a little family reunion a couple of years ago to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary (!). My aunt Patti put together a program of various songs and reminiscences, and in it she sang A Christmas Love Song. Grandma cried all the way through, and she never cries. Apparently it's my grandparents' song! (according to Grandma, anyway) That knowledge, coupled with hearing Aunt Patti sing it -- I have loved and wanted to emulate her voice since I was a little girl -- has made me adore this song, and now every time I hear it, I get a bit teary.