Celebrating the Season

I love the holidays and I cherish the time with my family and friends.  During the month of December, we try to stuff in as much festivities as possible.  Things never go as planned and this December was no different.  This year we didn't have a schedule of activities, just a list, which allowed us to adjust as time would allowed and things went much better.   

Mr. Man found an ingenious way to clean the gutters before he hung the lights. 

While Mr. Man hung the lights we delivered the neighbor gifts of poinsettias. I love driving up the street and seeing poinsettias on everyone's porch. 

Mr. Boy is obsessed with Ding Dong Ditching this season, but the family rule, is that you have to leave a treat if you are going to ring and run.  Mr. Boy got caught delivering poinsettias and ran back to the house with the plant. We learned that Poinsettias are delicate and aren't really made for a football hold or a running prop. 

   

We celebrated Hanukkah with the Neighborsteins who we love so much.  I am so grateful for this house, the hillside, and the neighbors.

We attended lots of parties, but the kids favorite is my company party where they can order unlimited drinks and desserts. 

 

This party had a Marionette show, and I learned that I'm super creeped out by puppets.  It might be more that the puppeteers are the ones who give me the heebee jeebees.

We spent hours playing by the tree, 

watched lots of holiday movies in our holiday jammies while snuggled with our pets.

We tortured the dogs with silly costumes, 

and I dressed up the kids in matching dorky sweaters and bribed them to take holiday photos.  One day they will laugh at these pictures and ask me, "Ugh, Mom! What were you thinking?"

 

We spent way too much time doing this. 

 

And even more time visiting places with the name "Respiratory", "Pulmonary" and "Clinic".  Mr. Boy missed 10 days of school to asthma, because he couldn't go more than a few hours without a treatment. Asthma is this boys kryptonite.

The upside is we got to spend lots of time together and did things like trying to catch fake snowflakes on our tongues. They turned out to be bubbles and tasted like soap.

 

We attended a special screening of the "The Grinch"

And the actual Grinch showed up to watch the movie with us.  Mr. Boy hated it, pulled down his beanie over his face, and told me I was the worst. He isn't a fan of characters. 

For church one Sunday, we came up with a contest to see who could be the most festively dressed, Mr. Man won.  We looked extra cheesy and I think it needs to be an annual tradition.

We ding dong ditched some of our friends with festive flashlights.

  

We played in the snow.... 

 

One day I will have to take my kids to real snow, right now they think snow comes out of a machine and is used as a movie prop.  

The kids trimmed the tree over and over again, and I treasure the decorations done in clumps and lack of symmetry.  I love to see what my kids think is beautiful.

  

Joyeux Noel to you and yours.