It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I feel like I've been a little slow to catch the Christmas spirit this year.
I mean, sure, the house was all decorated before Thanksgiving, and I had uploaded 152 Christmas songs to my iPod for the trip, but I still felt a little disconnected from the holiday.

Then we had one of our good friends come over on Sunday to paint a Christmas scene on our front window.  I missed the point at first, we had the football game on and weren't really focusing.  Eventually we put an iPod in set to Christmas songs and we started talking about Christmas traditions and - there it was!  The first inkling of Christmas spirit! 


How much is that doggy in the window?

So now it's upon us.  Today is St. Nick's day, actually.  My family tradition was to put boots outside the front door on St. Nick's eve, and then wake up to treat filled boots on the morning of the 6th.  This is a tradition that I don't think is common (I actually had to look it up today to make sure it wasn't just something my family made up) and I cannot wait to share it with our children!

                                   

The presents are wrapped under the tree.  Our shopping is almost completely done.  There may be Christmas cookie baking this weekend, and next weekend it all opens up and the celebrations begin in earnest.

So, for now we're trying to take advantage of this "calm before the storm."  There's nothing I love more than curling up with a good book in a Christmas tree lit room, or arriving home from work to find the whole house lit up.

I love the house all decorated.  I love everything about Christmas, really - even the snow that I haven't stopped complaining about in 3 straight days.

And my most favorite decoration in the entire house?

This ornament that Todd made when he was a kid.  I can't tell you how much I love this ornament.  It gets the best spot on the entire tree because I love it so much.  It's so cute, and sweet.  We can't wait to surround it, someday, with the homemade ornaments made by our children.