…Happiness and cheer,
Fun for all
That children call
Their favorite time of year…

It’s beginning to look a bit more like Christmas round these parts:

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches!

Cricket adores his new train set.

Best. Jingle bell. Ever.

Advent calendar, take two. This is the one I grew up doing with my parents, and now I’m sharing it with my kids. 🙂

I do so love this wreath. 🙂

If you look closely to the left of the moose, you’ll see a little reindeer mailing a letter to Santa…

Looks like Donner’s lying down on the job… 🙂

One happy Thumper bunny. 🙂

Time to sing about ugly Christmas sweaters!

“Santa, you’re kinda scary, but you gave me a dolly, so I don’t know what to think now.”

The courthouse is always pretty, but it’s even prettier at Christmas.

Finally got our tree up!

Mistletoe anyone?

Cricket wanted to put all the decorations on the piano. 🙂

A pretty tree for a pretty courthouse. 🙂

I love all the musical ornaments.

Every auditorium should have a tuba tree with an eighth note on top. 😉

What would the North Pole be without Santa Claus and snowmen?

Someone said she was NOT going to sit on Santa’s lap. Guess how well that worked out. 🙂

Nativity central.

But it’s been warmish and rainy here the last two days. Last night while we were decorating our tree, we had a thunderstorm. That made it feel rather more like Christmas in July.

The kids had their annual 4-H cookie walk yesterday morning and then went Christmas shopping at a local church. We listened to Christmas music all day, decorated last night, and watched Home Alone 2 after the boys went to bed. It was a little bittersweet, though – we always decorate as a family, and this year Seymour wasn’t home to help out. Miss Tadpole took it pretty hard, and I agree – it’s just not the same without him.

Still, I’m feeling pretty cheery after all that Christmasy fun yesterday, and I’m looking forward to working on Christmas cards this afternoon. 🙂

Have you decorated yet? Do you go all out, or do you keep it to a few treasured things? What kind of Christmas traditions do you have in your family?

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