Ready for the Holidays....

Over the past few weeks we've been getting ready for Christmas!  While we're not sure that LP really understands what's going on he's very excited about the decorations and has been singing Jingle Bells quite a bit around the house.  We've told him some stories about Christmas, both about Baby Jesus and about Santa and he seems to get bits and pieces.

A few years ago Paul bought me a beautiful mirrored advent calender.  I've put it out on display at Christmas for the past couple of years but never actually put anything in it.  This year we decided to get a mini tree for LP and then put little ornaments behind each door on the Advent calender.  He is loving it!  Every night after dinner he opens the next little door and then tells us what the ornament is, ("no man!"  "Santa!"  "rein deer!") then we hang it on his little tree.

Paul was very eager to get our Christmas tree early this year so we headed out to a local nursery over Thanksgiving weekend. 

LP loved running around the nursery but wasn't terribly interested in the trees until we got home and started putting lights and ornaments on it.  He's been very good at being gentle with the ornaments and we've had no mishaps yet! (although we did put our more precious ornaments up at the top)....

Last week LP and I went with some friends to see the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture Store.  The Enchanted Village is a huge, animated holiday display that was exhibited at one of the major department stores in downtown Boston from 1958-1972.  It was displayed again from 1990- 2006 in other various places in Boston before Jordan's Furniture bought it and restored it in 2009.  They now put it up in one of the Jordan's Furniture stores.  It's a little creepy but the boys loved it.  Every few minutes it "snows" in the room which LP really loved...

Over the weekend LP's same little friend came over for a play date and we decided to make gingerbread houses using graham crackers and some random candies and cookies we had around (this is no Martha Stewart quality craft project!). 

I think more of the cookies and candies went in their mouths than on the little house but it was really fun to watch these two sweet little boys get so excited about their project.  We only made one house so we've been enjoying it at our house this week but will be delivering it to our friends' house soon for them to enjoy as well! 

So we're almost ready for the holidays!  The house is decorated, presents are bought (but not wrapped!) and we've started with our cookie and candy making.  I'm sure Christmas day itself will be a bit overwhelming for LP, but we're really looking forward to having some great family time (and time with both sets of LP's grandparents!) together...