…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:

Best. Jingle bell. Ever.

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

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

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

Time to sing about ugly Christmas sweaters!

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

Cricket adores his new train set.

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

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

Nativity central.

Mistletoe anyone?

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

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

One happy Thumper bunny. 🙂

I love all the musical ornaments.

I do so love this wreath. 🙂

Finally got our tree up!

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

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

A pretty tree for a pretty courthouse. 🙂

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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