It's Christmas Again!

It's Christmas again, my favorite time of the year. Like last year, we are doing things simply. The kids will get some gifts, of course, and even something off their list. But I am trying hard not to emphasize that aspect of Christmas. I am really trying to focus on what I think Christmas should be all about -- giving to others and spending time with the ones you love. Last year we LOVED having something special to do each day of advent. This year, the kids are into it even more. Every morning the first thing they do is run to see the day's activity. And with Zachary a year older, he is able to really participate and enjoy everything so much more. He was really involved in making the fudge for our neighbors this year, becoming "The stirring expert." Juliette "helped" by not asking me to hold her the whole time. She mostly ate (crackers, a banana, a few chocolate chips) and moved her chair around the kitchen. She only fell off three times! One night we put her to bed early and the four of us did a jigsaw puzzle. This was also great. Zachary was a reluctant participant at first. But we let him choose the puzzle and when he realized he could do it, he loved it. Now he's asking to do puzzles. We are having a wonderful time just being together, doing simple, Christmasy activities. It also forces us to have some calm, usually in the evenings after Jason comes home, before bed time. This time is calm for many people, but in our house, things are a little frantic. "Eat your dinner! Take a bath! Wash your hair! Brush your teeth! How many books? I want cuddles!" We are trying to sloooooow things down a bit. (We should probably do this all year!) So far it has been a very happy holiday!