Christmas is my favorite holiday by a long shot, so I have been looking forward to sharing this holiday with Mia since before she was even born. We have been getting into the Christmas spirit by decorating our house and doing some fun holiday activities.
We kicked off Christmas a little early this year by putting up our Christmas tree a few days before Thanksgiving. Mia likes to look at the tree, but she is hesitant to touch it. It's almost like she is unsure about it and scared to touch it. I'm sure next year will be a different story.
Side story: We have had this tree since 2007, can you tell? Back then I wanted something bright and colorful, and did not know any better. I now hate that it has colored lights and have been wanting a different tree for years. It always get put off for one reason or another (moving, getting pregnant, renovations, etc.). This year was going to be the year we got a new tree, however with Mike transitioning careers right now, the tree got put on the back burner again! Next year, for sure, we are getting a new tree. Maybe it was always supposed to work out this way, so that Mia could help us pick it out.
Our Christmas festivities:
{One} We made a hand print ornament. We received this kit as a gift and we thought it would be a fun craft to do with Mia.
How I imagined this going and reality were completely different, HA! I naively thought this would be easy, however Mia had another plan. I started by kneading the clay and turning it into more of a taco than a circle. Mike took over the kneading process at this point and I prepared Mia's hand by wetting it. That put Mia on high alert that we needed her cooperation and she was not going to play along.
When it was time to do the impression, Mia balled up her fist! After getting her hand open, the impression looked like she had 7 fingers. The instructions smugly stated, if you make a mistake, go back to step 2. Back to step 2 we go. We finally got a good impression with all hands on deck, phew.
We let this bad boy dry for days. I was nervous that I made the hole too close to the top to support the ribbon, but it all ended up working out in the end! I will always cherish this ornament with her tiny (stubborn) hand.
{Two} We went to visit Santa Claus! We went to Bass Pro Shops to go see Santa, to avoid the mall madness. We were there for maybe 30 minutes tops. It was very quick and efficient. I'm sure that it helped that it was on a weekday in the afternoon. I was sure that the water works would flow, but she did not shed one tear. Instead, she was just sporting her usual mean mug.
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| Checking out all of the decorations |
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| Hey, you kind of look like that rapping/dancing guy at my house |
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| Santa success! |
{Three} We got Mia some Christmas books. There are so many to chose from, but we decided on:
We want Mia to understand (or at least hear/read) about the real reason for the season, Jesus' birthday!
{Four} I went to Vitruvian Lights in Addison. I've gone to this the past 2 years, and it is a fun place to check out lights. I went with some of my friends a couple of weeks ago and they had live music, shopping booths, and food trucks. The event runs until January 1st and it's free! They don't always have the live music, but it's still fun nonetheless.
We wanted to go as a family before Christmas, but we ran out of time, so we might try to go after Christmas.
{Five} We went to The 12 days of Christmas at the Arboretum at night. This was the first year for the Arboretum to do this and it was so much fun. It was a perfect night to do it, since it was in the 50-60's. If you get the chance, I definitely recommend you check this exhibit out. These were some of my favorites:
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| A partridge in a pear tree |
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| Three calling birds |
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| Five golden rings |
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| Six geese a laying |
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| Seven swans a swimming |
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| My sister in law with my 3 nieces |
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| My little brother and nieces |
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| My dad and step-mom |
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| The boys- my dad, brother, uncle, husband, and brother-in-law |
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| My sister and brother-in-law |
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| My step-mom and brother |
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| My step-mom and uncle |
Now that all the festivities are over, we are just anxiously awaiting Christmas!
I work overnight on Christmas eve, but we will be hitting the ground running around to see family as soon as I get home in the morning. I hope everyone has a great and safe Christmas!
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