HAPPY DECEMBER

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. "

~Burton Hillis

Hello there again. It has been a while. I have definitely been sporadic with my posts lately. It has been hard to get in computer time. Homeschooling is working beautifully, but I must say it takes up a lot of my free/computer time. No excuses though huh?

Today we started our second annual countdown to Christmas. We began this tradition last year and really enjoyed it. It helped remind us to slow down, and enjoy little moments of the season, amongst all of the bustle that surrounds this time of year. I got my inspiration for the count down from here. We had less space this year, so I nestled the cards in a basket.

For our first day of Christmas... we opened a Christmas box. It is always a magical experience. I remember my sister and I begging my mama to unearth the Christmas boxes from the garage every year. It was like a new experience every year even though the contents were much the same. It is so wonderful to share these same moments with my little Violet.

Last year I put some of the things that we would want to get out first and labeled it OPEN FIRST! It contained our beloved Christmas books, many of which were from my childhood, CDS, movies (among which was Shrek the Halls one of our favs), the jingle bells that always go on the front door, and a few decorations. Violet spread the contents out on the floor, then climbed into the box with a stack of Christmas books. This is where she spent the next hour.

I actually captured these moments on film and then somehow deleted them from my camera. The stars are not in alignment with me and my camera lately. Instead here are a few shots of Christmas past.