Little Christmas Helpers

Even before we got home from Thanksgiving, we were ready to start celebrating the holiday season.  We blared the Christmas music as we drove home and on our way, we even stopped to get our tree.  I always want to get our tree as soon as we can after December rolls around because we always go out of town, and I want us to be able to enjoy it for as long as we can.  So, we stopped, with all of our suitcases still in the car, and picked out the perfect tree.  I still think the boys favorite part is picking up treasures that they find on the ground at the lot like little twigs and string, but we did come home with the perfect tree strapped to our car.

The boys wanted to decorate the tree immediately, but as a result of crazy work and school schedules we had to wait a few days.  That night, we got the boys into their Christmas PJ's, set all of the ornaments out on the table and got to decorating.  This was the first year that both boys really enjoyed putting lots of ornaments on the tree.  They especially liked the ones that had their names on it and their own bird and bear ornaments that they get every year.

As a result of the fabulous ornament helpers, we ended up with all of the ornaments clustered in one spot at about boy eye level on one side of the tree.  We also have ornaments that tend to jump off the tree at any moment.  That's okay, I know they had fun, and we only lost one ornament in that whole process so I consider it a victory.

After the tree was all happily lit, I sat down and read my book in the light of the twinkling tree.  What a great way to start the holiday season!

(Ian puts the lights on the tree-my least favorite part.)

(Evan and Ben show off their bear and bird ornaments.)

(my big helpers)

(Look how I've grown, Mom!)

(Evan carefully selects an ornament.)

(Ben admires his birth year ornament.)

(the cluster of ornaments on a happy tree)