Jingle Bells Jingle Bells Jingle Bell Rock

So as I've mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE the Christmas season.  I'm so excited that Christmas is just a couple days away.  Right now I'm especially fond of all the Christmas music.  Last night driving to my parents house "Oh, Holy Night" was on the radio.  I could listen to that song over and over and over.  It is one of my favorites. 

Tomorrow I'm planning on getting out some of my piano books, and sitting down w/ Xander at the piano and playing some Christmas toons with him.  He's enthralled by the piano.  I don't get to playing it nearly often enough but I hate to pass it up during the Christmas season.  And I want him to have the memories of hearing the songs on the piano as he grows up.  He may not remember it this year - but I want it to be the sort of thing where in the future he says, "Mom's been playing Christmas songs on the piano since before I can remember."  :)

Also, our tree is up now.  It has been for a -short- while.  It took some time before I could actually get it up - other things just always got in the way or needed to be taken care of first.  But now it's up.  I'll post pictures soon.  Xander is so cute.  He sits and looks up at the tree and lights, will look back at us, then the tree, then us and will point to the tree. :)  The tree looks a little funny because all ornaments are 3 rows up from the bottom.  The bottom of the tree is bare except for lights.  I tried putting a few unbreakable ornaments at the bottom, but Xander just pulls them off.  And I'm afraid sometime he'll pull too hard and we'll have a disaster on our hands!  But he loves looking at it, especially as it gets darker in the house.

And there are a few wrapped gifts underneath the tree.  Xander crawls over to them, and then bangs on them - as if to proclaim them as his. :)  They are silver and shiny so I'm sure that's a big attraction for him.  He doesn't try to disturb them or eat them as with other things, but intrigued nonetheless. 

Today is an early dismissal from school. Freezing rain, ice and snow.  Yuck. Gift me soft, fluffy snow on Christmas Eve and I'd be happy all winter. I know I enjoyed snow as a child, but now it means bad driving conditions and scraping my windows every time I go somewhere.  And for Justin, it means shoveling the driveway and sidewalks.  For Evie, cold paws!  She dawdles so much outside that her poor little feet get too cold and she has a hard time moving.  And then she just gets more cold.  Silly dog. :)

I'm really looking forward to Xander's first Christmas.  Even though he won't understand most of it, it's something I want him to know and feel good about.  Family and friends and good food, celebrating Jesus Christ's birth, and being thankful for all that we have. 

Tonight I'm planning on getting the rest of the gifts wrapped.  I mostly enjoy wrapping gifts - especially finding fun ways to wrap things so that it isn't obvious what it is.  I'm super excited for my family to open their gifts this year, I think they'll be surprised. :)

I'll also be making a yummy Christmas treat this year.  I found it on another friend's blog, but since my family doesn't know what it is yet, it's super secret. :)  Not that the treat is hard or really different - just another fun thing I'd like to do.

I'm so thankful that we'll have time together at home for Christmas.  Having Justin on break, my brother and sister close to home for the holidays, and Xander home for daycare is so nice.  And the Nelson Christmas should be TONS of fun with EVERYONE home.  It will be a VERY full house and it just makes me all the more excited!!!

Check back in a week or so and I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun Christmas pictures posted.  My camera is going everywhere in the next few days! :)

We would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.  Please be safe in the winter weather.  Merry Christmas!
With Love,
Justin, Rae Lynne & Xander