This year I’m debating if I should or shouldn’t get an Elf on the Shelf.  Part of me is worried about the idea of Santa spying on children through an Elf; However, part of me is interested in the idea of magical beings and make believe.  I think I’m going to do it and down play the spying with the elf.  Maybe make it more of a sweet phenomenon that an Elf is here to spread cheer and remind us to celebrate this magical holiday.  What are your thoughts about the Elf on the Shelf?

Other traditions we have are wearing matching Christmas pajamas!  Still working on Stephen.  I’m working on getting him into these pjs.

Making sugar cookies. And of course, baking with toddler in underpants happens pretty much each year.  My daughter does most of the work herself, no joke!

We dress-up Christmas Eve and take pictures in front of the tree and eat fancy food and treats and open one present.  Where is my husband?  Oh yeah, he pretty much hates to take pictures.  I can’t even tell you how many pictures I have of him photo bombing them with zombie faces, cross-eyed and taco-tongued.  This one is bit blurry but one of my favorite pictures.  I was in that mommy bliss phase where I could pinch her cheeks and talk baby talk every minute she was awake.

Wait, i found one.  Ha.  Don’t mind the cord on the side, and the blur.  Still sweet.

The nutcracker…the sweet nutcracker.  Willow was in two nutcracker performances with West Side Dance Studio in Santa Barbara.  Her ballet instructor was one of the best I have ever known and she was a prima ballerina.  If you live in Santa Barbara you must go there!  She could herd cats with all those toddlers!!  This year the Arlington in Santa Barbara will have the Nutcracker Sweet so we will be attending that.   Anyways, back on track.  it was our tradition to buy her a nutcracker each year to remember the performances when she played a cupcake.  I will forever decorate for Christmas with these sweet nutcrackers!

And she sleeps with them each year.  So precious.

This is becoming one of my favorite activities and I will certainly be blogging all about it.  We did graham cracker house structures, but this year I hope to do gingerbread houses and make detailed walls, etc.  Should be interesting.

We make gingerbread cookies.  I need some help with this one.  Whoa, it’s challenging to make these.  Any tips in the comments would be greatly appreciated.

Homemade ornaments all month long to Christmas music.  Now this is my happy place!  Especially when they play “Santa Baby.”

Making snowflakes with paper and scissors.  This year I want to try the coffee filter and press on the windows.

Decorating the tree…and then redecorating the tree, and then redecorating the house and playing with the nativity scene.  This little Willow Bear redecorates and reorganizes all season long.  But I like the tradition of decorating the tree on dada’s shoulders and playing one of dada’s real nice drums for drum roll please!  Voila, a star on the top.  The tree is not even close to done in this picture.

Photo shoot with Santa.  Gotta do it.

And present giving and getting and messes all over the living room, egg nog, Christmas ham and stratas, Sees, Christmas movies back to back, letters to Santa, food for the reindeer, getting out the angel advent calendar and caroling and my ornament collection revisited.  I think I’m ready now for Christmas.  How about you?

Cheers!

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