Christmas Tree 2012

The last fifteen or so years Christmas has been a hard time of the year for me.  It's been a lonely time of the year, a month that I've wished on more than one occasion that could be erased from the year.  Having kids the last couple of years has definitely made it better.  Still it was hard and we didn't really do much for Christmas.  Yet, the kids still get excited and count down the days.  

Not sure what has made this year different but I'm really looking forward to Christmas.  I wish I had more energy to do more- bake Christmas cookies, make Christmas candy, and really decorate the house.  But, this year will be different and better and hopefully a springboard to many more fun Christmas memories to come!

So, what started getting me in the spirit of Christmas?  Remember I had a friend visit recently!  One of the projects she did with Jackie and Yosam was to make stockings for the whole family!  They really enjoyed making them and have daily reminded me that gifts are to go in them! 

I was talking with David and told him that this year I really desired to have a "real" Christmas.  That I wanted it to be something the kids will look back on and have memories they treasure.  I (and David too) really desire for our family to have traditions that will keep binding us together and that our kids can pass on to the grandkids some day!  I want them to remember Christmas as a fun time, a time for family.  And of course, we'll be putting up a nativity scene, reading the story of Christ's birth, etc. 

Enjoy the pictures of our first tree decorated as a family!

This was David, Jackie, and Yosam's first time to decorate a Christmas tree!

And what was Jurnee doing during the Christmas tree decorating festivities?

First, the look that says, "I'm about to get into something!"

I'm about to reach it!

Got it!

And away I run with the goods!

The finished tree!  We only had the big kids in our last photo of the night.  Jurnee by this time had her "I need to go to sleep" meltdown.

Notice only the top half of the tree is decorated!  We all decided that it was better to have a half decorated tree than to spend the next week or so chasing Jurnee down to "redecorate" what she "undecorates!"

Can't wait to see the look on their faces when they wake up Christmas morning to gifts under the tree!