Thursday, December 10, 2009

Decking the Halls

I'll be the first to admit that decorating for Christmas has fallen way down on the to-do list. So we are slowly working on getting the house decorated though I think there will be many things that will not make an appearance this year. Honestly this is the first year that I've seriously contemplated getting a fake tree for next year. We won't; we love the fresh trees. It just took forever to get it placed just right and lit. And therefore, the tree is still only about 1/4 trimmed with the ornaments that the boys hung. Oh well. It will be finished in time. :)

The older boys each have almost 15 ornaments in their collections. My parents and grandparents gave us an ornament every year and we are continuing that tradition with our kids. We gave them a jump start by starting their collection with several handmade ornaments from Kazakhstan. Seeing those beautiful wool ornaments on the tree brings me so much joy and brings back so many memories of our time in a country that we love.

We had a wonderful time having our family tree-trimming party. I made special food and the boys got to choose several treats to enjoy. We drank our first eggnog of the season - I only drink it a couple of times but it's SO good (Trader's Point Creamery that is).

While we often fight exhaustion and busy-ness and all that comes with being parents of young children as well as having a demanding job (for Andrew), making these memories is incredibly important to us. Seeing all three of our boys' delight and excitement makes every single minute of these traditions worth it. I treasure these moments and these years of Christmas being magical. Our boys are amazing gifts and spending time as a family is my favorite thing in the whole world!

2 comments:

Margaret said...

:D I have so so so many memories of this tradition. The Tree Trimming Parties were always so special.

ceebee said...

that food looks yummy.