Christmas Toy Favorites!

*Hi Everyone! I took an unintentional blogging break this week, spending a lot of time with family and friends and enjoying every bit of this holiday season. I will return with my regular 3-4 posts a week in the New Year. For today, I've written a quick little post about my children's favorite gifts this Christmas!

I hope that all of you who celebrate had a very Merry Christmas! I know we did. Christmas morning was full of magic as the anticipation of the season finally culminated in Santa's arrival. Stephanie was thrilled as she ran into the living room and delighted in the stuffed stockings and piles of brightly wrapped gifts under the tree. She shrieked with excitement over each gift and took each one out to play with as she opened it.

Joseph was a little more subdued, often getting overwhelmed by his sister's enthusiasm. But he too enjoyed ripping off the wrapping paper and playing with his new toys. We spent the day in our own home, welcoming my parents, grandparents and sister in the afternoon for Christmas dinner.

It was a day full of good food, conversation, and holiday spirit.

As the kids have continued to play with their new toys these past few days, a few clear favorites have emerged.

Joseph is particularly enjoying his Fisher- Price Laugh and Learn: Learning Piggy Bank

And his Fisher-Price Little People Zoo Talkers Animal Sounds Zoo

(The zoo is actually a big hit with Stephanie too!)

Of the toys Stephanie received, her favorite by far is the Crayola Magnetic Double Easel

She's also loving Bell, the interactive storybook buddy, who is the companion to her beloved Jingle. 

Did your kids love their gifts? Did you? What were their (and your) favorites this year?

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Stephanie and Joseph are full of anticipation and excitement today, as we scurry around getting last minute things done for our holiday celebration. Tonight we'll go to my parent's house to celebrate with extended family, and then tomorrow we're hosting dinner for my parents, grandparents, and sister.

I've crossed everything off my to-do list for today, which is both amazing and a little disconcerting. I'm racking my brain wondering what i'm forgetting, since it seems like there is no way I could have gotten it done this early. But, since I can't seem to think of anything i'm missing, i'm taking a minute to relax and check in with all of you!

Feel free to share your Christmas plans with me, i'd love to know what everyone is up to tonight and tomorrow. And for those of you travelling, I wish you a safe and secure trip. May you all find peace, joy and love this holiday season.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours! xoxo

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Christmas Crafting

I love crafting with Stephanie, especially now that she's at an age where she really enjoys it. I had a bunch of ideas from Pinterest that I wrote about here, but I haven't actually done any of them with her yet. We have done some crafts though, and she's had so much fun making them.

So far we've done:

Door Hangings (Bought at Target for $1, markers included. Can't beat that.)

Foam Stockings (I found the stockings at the Dollar Store. They came in a package of 8. Foam stickers also came from the Dollar Store.)

Torn Paper Christmas Trees. (I cut out the Christmas tree shape, we tore up a piece of green paper, and Stephanie glued the pieces to the tree.)

We've also done a lot of coloring in Christmas coloring books, decorating cards and paper with Christmas stickers, and a few surprise projects that I don't want to write about yet because they will be Christmas gifts.

I've love to hear what holiday crafts you and your little ones have been up to, so please feel free to share!

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Christmas Children's Books

Last month I wrote about our favorite Thanksgiving children's books, and today i'm excited to be doing the same thing with Christmas books!

We actually own a lot more Christmas books than we do Thanksgiving ones, which is nice because we can read them all season without having to return them to the library. There have been a few that we've borrowed from the library though, and some of them will eventually become part of our home collection since they are so well-loved!

Here are five of our favorites this year:

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. This is one of our books, and even though I put it out after Thanksgiving I didn't expect to read it to her. It's a classic and beautifully illustrated but I assumed there were just too many words. That just goes to show that I shouldn't assume anything when it comes to my kids. This is Stephanie's absolute favorite Christmas book and we read it almost every day.

Olive the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh. This is a cute little tale about a dog named Olive who hears her name on the radio and assumes it means Santa is calling her to come be his reindeer. (She misinterprets the song lyric "all of the other reindeer" as "Olive the other reindeer.") Santa takes pity on her and lets her join his team on Christmas night. I had watched the movie that's based on this book a long time ago, and I feel like the book is much cuter! Stephanie requests it often, and will be pretty disappointed when it has to go back to the library.

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas by Jane O'Connor. We adore Fancy Nancy, and this book about Nancy's extra fancy Christmas doesn't disappoint. Full of colorful pictures and "fancy" words, Nancy's Christmas book is one that we will definitely need to buy at some point.

The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear by Stan and Jan Berenstain. This is the original Berenstain Bears Christmas book (there have been other modern ones that have come out since.) I read this one growing up, and love sharing it with Stephanie now. In fact, the copy I'm reading to her is the one I owned when I was little. It tells the story of how Sister Bear writes a huge list to Santa, but eventually learns that it isn't good to be greedy, and that there is much more to Christmas than receiving gifts. Definitely a good one!

Franklin's Christmas Gift by Paulette Bourgeois. This is a sweet story about Franklin the turtle and his class's Christmas toy drive for needy children. When Franklin goes home to choose a toy, he discovers that all of his toys are too special for him to donate. But then at school the next day he hears about the generous donations his friends are making and feels like none of his toys are good enough to donate. He eventually figures out just the right toy to give and feels filled with the Christmas spirit. Franklin books are perfect for preschoolers. They are sweet and simple, with concepts that are easy for little ones to grasp. If you can get your hands on a copy of this (Franklin books are hard to find!) I highly recommend it.

Since I love children's literature, especially holiday-related books, I would love to hear some of your suggestions! Please share your favorites, either in the comments or on my Facebook page.

I shared my favorite Christmas books because that's the holiday we celebrate in our house. If you celebrate Hannukah or Kwanzaa, feel free to share any children's books about those holidays that you love too!

*I was not compensated in any way to write about these books. I either own them or have borrowed them from the library. 

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Thankful Thursday, Christmas Edition: Week 2

Happy 2nd Thursday of the Christmas season! We had a bit of a rough week, but I still have so much to be thankful for.

This week my list includes:

~Our Christmas tree. I finally got my husband to put up the tree after days of nagging asking. I find myself getting frustrated whenever I see it standing there in my living room, waiting for him to put the lights on. I'm trying really really hard to focus on just being thankful that it's up and to remember that i'll be even more thankful for it once the lights and ornaments finally go on.

~Holiday birthdays. Both my niece and Dan celebrated a birthday this past week. Even though those days aren't necessarily related to Christmas, they always occur during the season, which gives them a little extra magic.

~Christmas movies. Stephanie was sick with a stomach bug all weekend and holiday movies were our saving grace. We watched Thomas' Christmas and the Elf on the Shelf movie over and over and over again while she rested on the couch.

~Wrapping gifts. I've been spending a little time each day getting this job done, and I love it! I brew a cup of Mocha Nescafe Memento, put Christmas carols on the radio and wrap. It's a peaceful activity, and i'm excited that I've already make a big dent in the amount I have to do.

~Holiday gatherings. We celebrated an early Christmas on Saturday with two of our best friends. It's a tough year for them (you might remember the story about how their beautiful daughter Maya died in June) and it was a bittersweet celebration. But we were happy to see them and spend quality time together.

Once again i'm linking up with Joanna at Baby Gators Den. I'd love to know what you're thankful for, so feel free to link up or comment! And check out the other great Thankful Thursday posts when you have time. Have a great week!

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Jingle All the Way

The beginning of December was a hectic time for us last year. Joseph was less than two months old, had a lot of stomach issues and didn't sleep well, and Stephanie was starting to develop a horrible tantrum habit. In the midst of planning for Christmas I was also thinking about my niece's birthday (December 4th...today!), Dan's birthday (December 5th) and Joseph's Baptism, which ended up being the 4th as well.

I was tired, cranky, and overwhelmed by all of the events that were going on and with having two young ones under the age of two. But then, on the day of Joseph's Baptism, Dan's Grandma handed us her annual envelope for Elf Shopping (we shop for our kids, but the gifts come from her.) That year however, she also included a big gift bag.

When we got home from the Baptism party we opened the bag and discovered Jingle the Husky Pup. He was an adorable stuffed animal who came with his own book and DVD. I have to admit that my first thought was "Oh...another stuffed animal. Super." But I would soon find out that Jingle was no ordinary stuffed animal!

The very next day, as I struggled to get Joseph to eat (not an easy task) while simultaneously preparing to take both kids out to eat for Dan's birthday, Stephanie was being whiny and clingy. In an act of desperation I remembered that the stuffed animal came with a movie. I popped it in the DVD player, set her down in the living room and went about my tasks. I didn't have high expectations. At 21 months, she wasn't really into TV. But 20 minutes later I realized she hadn't moved the whole time the movie was on. (It's a short little show that was originally broadcast on the Hallmark channel.) I was amazed, and when she asked for it again I put it on and watched with her.

Jingle All The Way is a tale of a boy who wants a dog and a dog who wants a boy. Jingle and Andrew (the protagonist) overcome several obstacles to be together, and on Christmas morning their wishes come true. It's a heartwarming tale with a gentle Christmas music sound-track. The characters are sweet and the length is perfect for toddlers. When I finished watching it that first time I thought "This is going to be a new Christmas classic for us." And I was right.

From that moment on, Jingle became our stand-by. For the entire holiday season we watched the movie every single day. Sometimes more than once. It was my saving grace because I could actually feed the baby and get some holiday prep done. I didn't even mind when we watched it back-to-back. To back.

Stephanie also enjoyed the book (she was just starting to sit for stories.) I think the fact that Jingle responds to several key phrases helped keep her interested.

This year we were eager to pull Jingle out again, and again he has been a major part of our holiday season thus far. Many mornings we start our day by putting the movie on. Stephanie curls up on the couch with her Jingle puppy and watches the movie. Joseph loves it too, and will bark back to Jingle. We've read the book over and over and it is just as charming this year as it was last year.

Today marks 1 year of having Jingle in our lives, and I couldn't be more happy that he's here! I know he will be a part of our Christmas season for many more years to come.

Watching Jingle first thing in the morning

I was not compensated in any way to endorse Jingle. This post was written purely to share our love of Jingle with all of you!

*Are we friends on Facebook? If not, come like A Baby Makes Four! 

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A Little Change of Plans

Well, I had grand plans for the blog on December. I was going to write every day, with a Christmas post related to our celebrations this season. But then poor Stephanie got sick with the stomach bug, so instead of blogging and celebrating I've been cleaning, disinfecting and cuddling with a poor sick little girl.

It started Friday afternoon when she woke up from her nap. She told me her belly hurt, and continued to say it consistently for the rest of the afternoon. Then she got sick at the dinner table, 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave the house to go out for a girls' night. (I told her she had good timing though, better then if I had just arrived and needed to turn around and go home.)

She spent the rest of the weekend alternating between seeming fine (we had company come over Saturday for a Christmas celebration and although she acted more subdued than normal you wouldn't know she had a stomach bug) and seeming very sick. Yesterday was the worst day, with her just lying on the couch dozing off and on all day. It was so sad to see.

The last time she got sick was at 12:30 this morning, and i'm crossing my fingers that that was the end of it! She seems better this morning and is asking to eat and leave the house so I'm taking that as a sign that she's on the road to recovery.

This is definitely a good lesson in Motherhood...you need to be flexible because the only certainty with kids is that things are never certain. We're still doing our best to enjoy the Christmas season and I know we'll be back on track soon. In the meantime we've been watching lots of Christmas movies and reading Christmas books to hold onto some of our Christmas spirit. And as soon as she is 100% better I'll be back reporting on how we celebrate the holiday season all month long!

Joseph wants to know why his best friend won't play with him.

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Thankful Thursday: Christmas Edition Week 1

It's officially the first Thankful Thursday of the holiday season! This week i'm thankful for:

~Being done with my Christmas shopping! Last night's trip to finish up the kids was the last of it. I'm hoping that this means i'll really be able to relax and enjoy the rest of the season without the stress of shopping hanging over my head.

~Christmas decorations. I love that my house is decorated (except for the tree.) Whenever I come home it makes me happy to see the twinkling lights and whimsical knick-knacks scattered throughout our apartment. 

~Target. They have the best Christmas section, full of fun foods, gifts, movies, and household accessories to help brighten the season. 

~Christmas books. Stephanie and I snuggle up every night and read at least 3 Christmas books. She seems as enchanted with them as I am. (Be on the lookout for a list of our recommended children's Christmas books coming soon!)

~Christmas music. I love hearing it on the radio and listening to Stephanie sing along. We've been listening to it for so long now that she knows most of the songs!

~Mocha-mint coffee. Dunkin Donuts puts their bags of ground mocha-mint coffee out every year at Christmastime and I love it. It's just slightly minty and mocha-y, not too sweet and just...amazing. I always think I should stock up now for the rest of the year, but then I think part of why I love it so much is that it isn't available all year. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season so far! Let me know what you're thankful for, and link up if you have a Thankful Thursday post of your own.

*Thanks to Joanna from Baby Gators Den for hosting Thankful Thursday each week!

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Holiday Traditions: Toy Shopping Night

Tonight Dan and I are going Christmas shopping for our kids. This is one of my favorite nights of the year, and one I look forward to for a long time!

It's been our tradition for the past three years to pick one night after Thanksgiving and head out together. We ask my parents to watch the kids, do our shopping, and go out to dinner. We started it for Stephanie's first Christmas, when she was 9 months old. We went to Toys R' Us with no plan and a monetary amount that we agreed we would spend. We loaded up our shopping cart, and looking back it makes me laugh. All that for a 9 month old! But it wasn't only Stephanie's first Christmas, it was our first Christmas as parents. We spoiled her and had a blast doing it. After shopping for hours we went to a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a rare dinner out by ourselves.

Last year we did the same thing, but for both kids. We bought a little less because, in an effort to save money I had shopped early and gotten deals on some things. But we went together anyway, getting enough to reach our allotted amount of money for each child. (We also Elf-shop for Dan's Grandma. She gives us money and we pick out things for them, from her.)

This year is different. We're really budgeting and cutting back to save for a house, so I have done almost all of the shopping already. But Dan likes to be involved in the picking out of the toys, so I saved one present per child that he can choose tonight. He can also choose the Elf-shop toys. We're also going out to the same Mexican restaurant we always go to. Have to stick with tradition after all!

Christmas traditions like this fill me with so much joy and anticipation. It's fun to get a night out in the middle of all the holiday chaos, and I love that Dan wants to be involved in choosing gifts for our children. Also, lets face it-picking out toys for your kids is fun. There's nothing like wandering through a toy-store to bring you back to your own childhood for a few minutes.

How do you shop for your kids? Do you have a plan? Shop online? I love to hear the different ways people get their gifts.

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Christmas Crafting With Pinterest

Thanksgiving weekend is almost over, which means it's time to focus on Christmas! My mind is whirling in a million different directions, thinking of all the fun things I want to do to celebrate the season.

I have a lot of ideas and plans, and I can't wait to share them with you over the course of the month.

One of things I'm most excited about is Christmas crafting. I've taken a few trips to the craft stores and stocked up on Christmas stickers, foam shapes and wooden decorations to paint or color. I've also started pinning some craft ideas from Pinterest.

I am famous for pinning things and then never doing anything with them, so I'm making it my goal this holiday season to make at least three of the crafts that I have pinned to my Christmas board. Below are three of my favorites that I think I have a good chance of making with Stephanie!

Source: preschoolcrafts101.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: easy-christmas-crafts.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: funhandprintart.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

What crafts do you have planned for this holiday season?

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Christmas 2011: Photo Edition

We had a wonderful Christmas! It was my second year hosting dinner, and it went much smoother this year. (Which was surprising...I thought for sure I would be more stressed out/frantic/unprepared this year. But it went off without a hitch!)

 After a Christmas Eve gathering at my parent's house on the 24th, we came home to prepare for Santa. Dan read Stephanie The Night Before Christmas (a tradition his dad started with him when he and his brothers were little), and we put out milk and cookies. Then Stephanie spent time at the window, looking for Santa.

Both kids slept fairly well. In fact, they slept so good that Dan and I were up before them. When Stephanie eventually woke up, she refused to come out to the living room. We hyped up the "Let's see if Santa came!" thing, and she was afraid he was still in the house. Eventually, we convinced her to come out. She was thrilled with the pile of gifts stacked under the tree. 

The table and chairs were the biggest hit. She went right over and sat down. When we asked her if she wanted to open presents, she said no.

(Notice Joseph hanging out in his swing. That's where he spent Christmas morning.)

After a little while, she finally agreed to open presents. The first one was a dollhouse, and as soon as she opened it, she wanted it out of the box.

The morning continued in this fashion. Every present needed to be taken out of it's box and played with before she could open another. Since this took awhile, we piled Joseph's presents on the couch, with the intention of having her open them when she finished with her own. However, when she was done, we ate breakfast (homemade banana chocolate chip bread, delicious.) Then we all got dressed, and as we finished up my parent's arrived. We exchanged gifts with them, and then my Grandparent's showed up. More togetherness and presents, and then my mom and I put the finishing touches on the dinner buffet.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating, continuing to exchange presents, and watching Stephanie as she entertained us all with her dancing, jumping, and singing. My sister and her family arrived in the afternoon for dessert, and more presents. It was adorable to watch Stephanie and her cousin Ree play together, giddy with the excitement of Christmas day.

By the time everyone left, we put Stephanie straight to bed, and had our stocking exchange. (Read about our stocking tradition here.) Then we fell into bed, completely exhausted. One of our last thoughts before going to bed? We never opened Joseph's presents from Santa. Oops. I don't think he minded too much though...

                                                    Hey guys...it was my 1st Christmas!

All in all, we had a wonderful day, full of family, love, good food, and, well...lots of presents.My children were very spoiled, and i'm feeling the effects of that now. The anxiety of trying to find homes for all of the new presents is driving me crazy! But, I know eventually things will get organized, and everything will get put in it's place. Until then...I think i'm going to ignore the mess and clutter and relax before we head off to New York for Christmas with the in-laws on Thursday. Merry Christmas everyone, I hope all of you who celebrate had as wonderful a day as we did.

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Friday Fives: Christmas Songs

As I mentioned here, I absolutely love Christmas music. This week's Friday Fives is a list of my favorite Christmas songs.

1. Silent Night
    This beautiful, holy song embodies the true meaning of Christmas. Whenever I hear it on the radio, it immediately brings to mind an image of our darkened church on Christmas Eve, stuffed to bursting with parishoners. I remember the chills I get as I listen to the voices of the people who have come together to worship and celebrate. It never fails to fill me with a sense of peace and serenity, and I always pause when I hear it to let myself remember why we celebrate Christmas.

2. Christmas Shoes
    I was in High School when I first heard this song, and immediately fell in love with it. The story of the little boy who wants to buy a pair of shoes for his dying mother never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The line "I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight" gets me every time. And at the end, when it's actually a child's voice doing the singing...I bawl. The song is a true embrace of the spirit of Christmas. (The book based on the song is a good read, too!)

3. Jingle Bells
    This is one of the only Christmas songs that I know every single word to. For that reason alone, I sing it all the time. Stephanie and I sing it together, and dance while we sing. I also like that it never specifically mentions Christmas, so I can sing it all winter long without getting yelled at by Dan for singing Christmas songs when it's not the Christmas season.

4. Christmas in Dixie
    For some reason, this song reminds me of my childhood. I didn't hear it for the first time until I was an adult, so I have no idea why it invokes that image. It's also not a very popular song; I actually heard it on the radio this year for the first time. (I know it from a Country Christmas CD that I bought a few years ago.) It's a song about a father who was laid off from his factory job, and is trying to make ends meet while also providing a happy Christmas for his little girl. The message is one of a father's love, and I think every parent feels a similar emotion. We just want our children to experience the magic of the season, without having to feel the burden of grown-up concerns.

5. Little Drummer Boy
    I think I like this song simply because of the catchy beat. It's easy to sing, and fun too. Stephanie loves it, which I think is why it made it onto the list. If I start humming it, she will sing along in her little toddler way: "pum pum pum, dummer boy!" It's pretty adorable. (She also sings O Christmas tree, and even has the tune right!)

Ok, all this writing about Christmas music has me wanting to listen to some, and since both kids are napping (!), I think i'll put on the radio and make a cup of Christmas tea.

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It's Quiet...

Right now in my house it is 8am, and I am the only one awake. Dan was at work until 2am, so he's sleeping in and going to work late this morning. Stephanie was up until 8pm last night (her usual bedtime is 7) so she's still sleeping. And Joseph always sleeps after his first morning bottle. So i'm sitting her with a cup of coffee, catching up on some blog reading, and just....enjoying it!

This time of year is always rush, rush, rush, and with a baby and a young toddler (who is totally hitting the "Terrible Twos" right now), peace and quiet is pretty rare. I love keeping busy and preparing for the holidays, but things have gotten a little tense and stressful around here lately. We're trying to get everything done, we have obligations/parties/gatherings 3-4 times a week, Joseph is having tummy troubles again, and there is some ridiculous extended family drama going on. Dan and I have been nit-picking at each other, and getting on each other's nerves. We finally sat down this weekend and talked about the fact that this is my favorite time of year, and I need to enjoy it, instead of being so stressed. I'm working on that, with my new mantra of "whatever gets done, gets done. If it doesn't get done, oh well." That is really difficult for me, but you know what? Right now, it's working. I want to enjoy the season, I want to enjoy my new baby, I want to experience Christmas through the eyes of a toddler.

 And so, instead of using this minute of peace and quiet to wash the dishes that sat in the sink overnight, or make lists for later this week, or get breakfast started, i'm sitting. I'm relaxing. I'm enjoying the quiet. I'm looking at the twinkling lights of our tree, i'm listening to Joseph's rhythmic breathing, i'm taking deep breaths, i'm relishing the moment. And i'm not beating myself up about it, or making myself feel bad for not accomplishing anything. Because all mommies need a minute or two to themselves. And now, Stephanie is awake, so there goes the quiet!

 I hope all my wonderful readers can find a minute today to just experience some peace and quiet. Even for five minutes. Trust me, it's a wonderful feeling, and has been a fabulous way to start to my day!

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Friday Fives

*I'm totally aware that it's Saturday night as I post this. But I did technically start working on it yesterday, so that counts, right??

So many blogs that I read (or used to read...I don't have as much time to read all of them anymore) have weekly blog topics. (Like Wordless Wednesday for example.) I have wanted to do something like this, but didn't want to just copy someone else. So, I've decided to create Friday Fives. Every Friday I will post 5 things. They could be anything...recommendations of books, songs, kid's toys. Or five things that I am happy or sad or frustrated about. Or 5 hot topics that I feel the urge to write about. Anything! But every Friday I will list 5 somethings on my blog. (Are you so impressed with the eloquent way that I just phrased that paragraph? Surely I could come up with another word than "somethings" but alas...nothing is coming to mind.)

So, for today, Friday Fives Week 1, I will list my 5 favorite Christmas traditions. (I LOVE Christmas, so it was hard to pick just five...)

1. Listening to Christmas music. I start much earlier than most people (day after Halloween) because I love it so very much. Some songs bring back memories of my childhood, some make me tear up, and all of them bring a sense of peace, joy, and happiness to my heart.

2. The Stocking Reveal. When I was a kid, my parents saved their stockings to open until us kids went to bed. Then they opened them up, just the two of them, on Christmas night. When we were a little older, they let us in on the fun. We sat around our living room, and took turns opening one present at a time. (They were all wrapped.) Before we opened each gift, we had to guess what we thought it was. It was one of my favorite traditions then, and something to look forward to all throughout Christmas day. (It alleviated that post-Christmas let-down. The one that occurs when the presents are all unwrapped, the dinner is eaten, and the guests have gone home.) Now that I am married with a family of my own, Dan and I continue the tradition. We each buy 10 stocking stuffers and wrap them up. Then, after the kids are in bed and our jammies are on, we sit around and open the gifts one at a time, trying to guess what each one is before opening. It's a great time to spend together just the two of us, and relax after the hustle and bustle of the day.

3. Classic Holiday Movies. I adore all the old Rankin/Bass movies. Rudolph, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is coming to town, etc. When I sit down to watch them, I am transported back to my youth, and for 30 minutes or an hour I feel like a kid again. The magic of Christmas is there, and all the stress that seems to come with the season melts away. When they're over, I do my best to hold on to that magic, and remember that the season shouldn't be about the stress. Even though i'm an adult, I have small children who I am thrilled to experience all the wonders of Christmas with.

4. Christmas lights. Every year Dan and I drive around different neighborhoods looking for Christmas lights. I adore seeing the sparkling, twinkling lights shining in the dark night. This year, we went for our yearly drive with Stephanie and Joseph. Joseph slept the whole time, but Stephanie was beyond excited to experience this tradition of ours. She shrieked with delight every time we spotted a lit up house, and begged for "more! more! more!" As we drove around, the four of us together in the cozy car, I felt so happy that I have these three amazing blessings in my life, to share the magic of my favorite time of year.

5. The Christmas Story. There are so many many things about Christmas that are special and magical. But the most important is the miracle that took place on the first Christmas. I always pause during this time of year to remember that Christmas is not just a commercialized holiday. It's not just about the tree, the lights, the music, the cards, and the gifts. It's about the birth of Christ, and while I know not everyone who reads this blog is Christian or religious in any way, I am, and to me this is the most important part of Christmas. The reason for the season. I am doing my best to teach Stephanie why we celebrate Christmas, and the importance of the birth of that baby all those years ago.

So there it is. A day late, but my first Friday Fives. Now to think of a topic for next week...

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I adore this time of year. It is, without a doubt, my absolute favorite time, and I look forward to it all year long. I love it all...the lights, the music, the decorations, the shopping for gifts, the baking, the cards. The sights, sounds, and smells of the season always warm my heart and make me smile a little bigger. Last year was my first Christmas as a mom, and it amazed me that this time of year became ten times more special and fun than it ever had been before.

Shopping for my husband and extended family is fun, but shopping for children's toys is magical. Anticipating my daughter's reactions as I shop for gifts makes me so excited. This year she knows what presents are, and loves to unwrap them. I can't wait to see her face when she walks into the living room on Christmas morning and sees the pile under the tree. But more than that, I'm excited to experience the entire season with her. I hope to instill a love of this time of year in her, and so far she adores it as much as I do.

She asks for Christmas music in the car, and can immediately identify whether or not a song is a Christmas one. Whenever we see decorations in stores, or lights on houses, she yells out "Christmas lights! More Christmas lights!" She asks for her Christmas bib when she sits at the table for meals, and when Joseph wore his snowman jammies she yelled "Baby Jo-Jo Christmas!"

We decorated our Christmas tree this past week, and it was such a fun family experience. The tree had been up with lights on it for a few days, and so one night after dinner I brought out all the ornaments and told Stephanie it was time to decorate. She took to the project immediately, and would continuously grab an ornament, run to the tree and hang it up. (Her version of hanging was to just put the ornament on a branch. It usually fell to floor as she ran to get another one, so I would hang it for her.) She had a grin on her face, and an infectious giggle throughout the entire process. It made Dan and I happy to see her enjoying this family tradition as much as we do.

Since Stephanie isn't even two yet, she innocently enjoys the magic of the season without fully understanding or anticipating what Christmas Day will bring for her. I'm taking advantage of this by really trying to instill in her the true meaning of Christmas. We read books about the first Christmas, and every night at prayer time we talk about how Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, and the whole season is about celebrating Him. We also talk about how there are some children who aren't as blessed as she is. She doesn't really understand that, but I think it's important to talk about. I keep it age appropriate by telling her that some children don't have a warm coat or lots of toys. We went through her toys and chose a few to donate to those in need. Again, she doesn't understand this, but I want it to be something she grows up hearing so that she never loses sight of the fact that we have so much and should never forget to be grateful for it.

It is only December 3rd, and there is so much more we get to do to celebrate the season. I'm looking forward to doing Christmas crafts with her, as well as baking cookies and other treats. I'm doing my best not to stress over my to-do list. I want to experience the magic of Christmas right along with her, and if that means that not everything gets done, so be it. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is a blessing, and I am thankful every day that I have two little miracles to celebrate with this year.

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