As promised in my Christmas Rocks - Part I post, here a few more things that make me smile about this season:
1. Cheesy Christmas movies. The cheesier the better. Lifetime channel is especially good at these. I love watching Christmas specials, classic Christmas movies, and Christmas theme sitcoms. Bring on the Christmas miracle tears!!
2. Santa hats. I really enjoy wearing a Santa hat out in public. I've been doing this for years, I've worn it to school, to work, to friends' houses, shopping (yes, I'm that ridiculous person at the drug store wearing a Santa hat!). It just makes me feel festive and happy.
3. Christmas cards. I LOVE getting Christmas cards (hint, hint, to those of you that know me personally). Unfortunately, I'm terrible about sending them but love receiving them. I really try every year to get them out in time for Christmas but end up inevitably sending them late (it's still OK if as long as they get there by New Year, right?).
4. Snow. I know this is not directly related to Christmas but the two together makes me happy. I remember making a few snow men while growing up and loving every minute of it. If it snows, I'm going to try and muster up the energy to get outside and show my boys how to make an awesome snow man (this might be a little too ambitious but I'm going to give it a shot!).
5. Santa Claus. This is the first year that my oldest son can understand the whole Santa Claus thing and it's been fun telling him about it. My brothers and I never had that growing up and even though it doesn't feel completely natural to me, I still love the whole idea of Santa Claus and will try my best to bring the wonder of that night to my boys.
6. Ornaments. Ornaments are one of the best parts of the entire Christmas decoration madness. I love bringing out the box after the tree is securely in its spot. Taking each one out and deciding where to put it on the tree is such a fun ritual and now with the boys, it's Kodak moments all over the place. Every years, we get a few more from my mother in law which is so fun for the kids. This year for the first time (again I'm probably being unrealistically ambitious here) I'd love to sit with the boys and make a few. If you have any good ideas for simple ornaments that we could make, please let me know!
7. Free Pass. I'm kind of a corny person by nature but I try to hold my corniness back most of the year but during this season I feel like I have a free pass to be as corny as possible! Singing foam snowmen? Sure, why not!
8. Being Nice. I love that during this time, everyone is just a little nicer. We smile more at each other, say hello to total strangers more and even throw in a Merry Christmas here and there!
9. Red. This might sound silly but I love seeing the color red everywhere. Especially those big red bows they have everywhere. And I wear a lot more red - sweaters, scarves, socks, hats (including my Santa hat) - which makes me feel extra festive!
and finally,
10. Books. I really enjoy reading Christmas themed books to the boys. They are so fun to read and the boys just love them. Last year a friend of ours gave us Olivia Helps With Christmas from the Olivia series and it ended up being one of our favorites. It's SO cute.
There are so many great things about Christmas! We already made some homemade ornaments that were easy. We just took the craft popsicle stick things (I bought the multi colored ones) and glue them together in a snowflake shape. Then we decorated them with puffy paint, glitter glue, and little jingle bells. I haven't taken any pictures yet but I'll try to get some posted! I think we're also going to do some homemade playdough and use Christmas shaped cookie cutters to make ornaments. Last year we did the applesauce and cinnamon dough and used cookie cutters to make ornaments. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this second part of your list! We are getting out our Christmas decorations tomorrow and I can't wait. This reminds me that I need to send you my cookie recipes - tomorrow! I made quite a few ornaments with my mom when I was younger...but I don't think I was quite as young as your kiddos - hopefully others will have good ideas for you. My homemade ornaments involved 1) cross-stitching - clearly not an option; 2) round styrofoam balls and sparkles - also probably not ideal for boys; 3) pipecleaners and red/white beads bent into the shape of candy canes - not sure if your kids can handle little beads? and 4) felt, sequins and photos - which you may be able to customize to work for you - none of these ornaments are at my house though, so I can't send photos... regardless, have a great holiday season and wear your Santa hat with pride!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is very motivating. I need to clean my house and pull out the holiday decorations!
ReplyDeleteI'm so lame now - it's hard to get going. I used to be a Jr. Martha Stewart and went all out with my fresh greenery and festive lights and ribbons (give me some wired ribbon and just sit back to watch the magic happen).
It's just been hard for the past 3 years since I invited the gremlins into my house. They dismantle everything. I'm a little worried about our tree this year - but I'm just going to put my favorite ornaments at the top and hope for the best.
Yeah for Christmas!