It took a couple of minutes for him to warm up to the idea, but once I told him Santa was going to bring him presents on Christmas he was more than happy to sit with him and take a picture. I felt a little guilty about that at first, but it is a great picture so maybe it was worth it.
Comments closedNo matter how much I want to slow it down, Christmas seems to be coming up very quickly. I always enjoy the shopping, but I’m not exactly finding myself in the Christmas spirit yet. We’ve decorated the tree, pulled out the Christmas music, and have been reading all of Zach’s Christmas books, but I’m just not feeling it yet.
I really want Zach to get excited about Christmas this year because for some reason I think that if he gets excited it will help me get more excited. I’m not sure he really understands the whole concept yet, but I’m trying to teach him little by little what to expect on Christmas morning. I also would like to find a book written on a toddler level that tells the biblical Christmas story so he can learn that as well.
In my effort to get us both a little more excited, I decided to pull out the construction paper and have a little craft time with Zach. He wasn’t too sure about it at first, but once he found out he got to use glue he got a little more excited.
He worked really hard for a while, picking out the right colors and gluing each strip.
He got pretty excited when he started seeing results and figured out that we were actually making something with all of that paper and glue.
Zach got a little bored before we were finished. What can I say? He has the attention span of a two-year-old for some reason. While he watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I finished up the chain. He came back to help a couple of times. I was pretty tired of it myself by the time I finally glued the last strip.
When all was said and done, we hung our Christmas paper chain up along the doorway next to the Christmas tree. Zach was very excited to see the finished product. I was just glad that it was finally done. I have to say that it was kind of fun while Zach and I were working together on it though. I can’t wait until he gets just a little bit older and we can do more things like this together.
After trying for several days now, I finally found time tonight to get the Christmas tree up and decorated. I was really hoping that Zach would get excited about helping this year and I was not disappointed. He handed Hubby and I branches as we put the tree together (yes, fake tree). He watched excitedly as I wrapped the tree in lights and garland. Then he helped hang the decorations on the branches. The only problem was that he wanted to hang all of the decorations on the exact same branch. I had to do a little bit of rearranging when he was finished, but it was totally worth it to watch him enjoy this small part of our family’s Christmas tradition.
When the tree was finished we decided it was time for a little snack so we finished the night up with this:
It was so good it may very well become a new holiday tradition.
I’m really excited to celebrate Christmas with Zach this year. I can’t wait to read him the Christmas story and teach him the true meaning of Christmas. He may not really understand it quite yet, but I still want to introduce it to him. I’m anxious to teach him the songs that I have sung since I was a young child. I can’t wait for him to experience the true spirit of Christmas, celebrating with family and friends. But the best part is building new traditions that my own little family will carry on for years to come.
Comments closedIndeed the time is upon us…already. I’ve been a little put off by the Christmas songs already streaming across the radio stations and all of the Christmas decorations that were in stores even before Halloween this year. It always seems early, but this year it feels like retail stores are in an even bigger rush to push the shopping upon us. It makes me wonder if they think people will buy more if it is out earlier. It sure doesn’t work for me. In fact, it just makes me not want to shop at all.
Unfortunately, the shopping is inevitable if I want to have gifts for those special people in my life come Christmas morning. I’ve been picking up a few small things here and there for Zach, and really only have one more large item that I want to get for him. I haven’t gotten it yet because I’m pretty sure it is going to require a trip to Toys R Us, which I try to avoid like the plague. If my boss lets me off early tomorrow I may venture out there. I need to pick up some birthday presents for my nephews as well and I guess that’s as good of a place as any to look.
The last couple of years I have done the majority of my shopping online just because it is much easier than getting out in the crowds. I would much rather do a quick search and pay a few extra dollars of shipping than have to trudge through store after store looking for the exact item I want. This year I have a few unique items in mind that can only be purchased online and I suppose I should get them ordered soon. I’m waiting for a name drawing on my side of the family before I really dig in and still need ideas for a couple of other people.
I’m having no problems whatsoever coming up with ideas for Zach or myself though. I’ve been updating our Amazon wishlists like crazy and keep having to stop myself when I want to add yet another item (linked in the sidebar for any family members who may want to refer back). I also keep finding things I want for the baby, who will not even be here until three months after Christmas. I’ve already started an Amazon baby registry and will hopefully venture out to Babies R Us or Target soon for those things that can’t be easily purchased online.
So yes, ’tis the season for giving and receiving. I don’t want to sound greedy, but I do enjoy opening a few gifts and discovering just what my loved ones have picked out for me. But, I enjoy watching others open their gifts even more.
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