Countdown to Christmas: Carrols and Candy

Leading up to the Christmas holiday, we were busy, busy, busy with lots of great events and activities. Let’s just say the days were anything but relaxing (particularly for this here sleep-deprived Social Director). But we had a lot of fun along the way!

Five Minutes of (Christmas) Fame

Just like last year, a big highlight was celebrating Christmas with the Little Missy’s preschool. Here’s her Frog Class, getting ready for the big performance.

I don’t think they seemed all that affected by the pressure to perform…eh? More like stunned by the onslaught of flashbulbs from parents’ cameras.

And then the carol singing (with dance moves!) began…

Intermixed with songs about “Christmas Bells” and Jesus lying “Away in a Manger,” was a re-enactment of Christ’s birth by the kindergarten class. I think the Little Miss is gunning for the role of the Star in a few years. I mean, Mary is a pretty awesome lady. But what girl wouldn’t want to be clad head to toe in gold lamay?!?

(Watching the re-enactment)

Here’s a video snippet from the event. Type in “wright” to watch…

Some Gingerbready Goodness

Determined to fill our holidays with as much sugar as possible, the Little Miss and I also kicked off a new annual tradition of making a faboo Gingerbread House.

Or, as Daddy liked to call it, our “10-pounds of Icing House.”

Sure, Mama may have gone a little overboard on the icing. But that was just to make sure that her Little Decorator had plenty of room to be creative.

( …And to make sure that my construction didn’t collapse. I may be one smart (Mama) Cookie, but I ain’t no engineer.)

And decorate the Little Miss did, along with plenty of “breaks” to stuff as much sugary goodness into her mouth as possible.

And here is our finished product! Pretty impressive, if you ask me. Even if the actual gingerbread is buried under 10 pounds (or more!) of icing…

Countdown to Christmas: Getting the Christmas Tree

One of our favorite activities leading up to Christmas is the annual journey to bring home our Christmas tree. And it’s so nice living in North Carolina, where the trees are grown locally – they are super fresh and fill our home with the most amazing smell of pine.

So you’d assume that since Mike and I love getting a Christmas tree so much that our kids would relish the experience as well. Right? Right?!?!?!?!

Yeah, not so much. Though they are some of the happiest, most exuberant Little People I know, the Little Miss and Little Mister have this knack for being in a sour mood whenever we go tree-hunting.

It didn’t help that the weather was pretty wet and dreary the day we went out to the tree farm.

But did that stop this Christmas-loving Mommy and Daddy from marching out into that tree field and willing our family to make the best of it??? Heavens no. We pushed on, with Little Miss and Mister Cranky Pants in tow.

(not so impressed by the new growth lot)

And thankfully for us, there were swings and fresh donuts waiting for the Little Troopers once we finished our noble quest.

Once we got home and the Littles were able to fill their bellies with lunch, and rest their weary eyes, the happy came back.

I mean, it’s hard to not be joyful when you are waited on hand-and-foot, AND have a awesome new light-covered Christmas tree to look at! See what I mean?!

(Type in “wright” to watch the video)