Wishing I still had 12 days left until Christmas. The reality is there is just TWO more days. I LOVE having small traditions we do each year. It makes for such a magical time of year with little kids. Our countdown advent calendar has been a favorite of the kids over the past few years. The kids take turns each day as to who turns over the little card. They get soo excited when it's their turn. I also found these cute little vintage Santa mugs. They're tiny and the kids have LOVED using them for everything from hot chocolate to just drinks of water during the day. I'm on the hunt for a vintage Santa cookie jar as well. I've seen lots of reproductions in stores but nothing that I've loved.
I put these wreaths together for our kitchen windows this Christmas. I had purchased fresh bay leaf wreaths which was incredibly beautiful but it dried out much more quickly than they ever have before me. It went bright orange which didn't look quite right for Christmas. I then saw the fresh white pine garlands at Trader Joe's and was so happy. I knew I could make wreaths out of garlands. I just cut one long garland in half and tied everything together with strings and then added the red satin ribbon and I think they looked pretty cute.
We have a strict rule that only Christmas music can be played (including in the car) and all TV shows and movies have to be Christmas. The kids laugh and it's actually really fun. The problem is that I've been sooo busy that I haven't had time to post any pictures. The days just FLY by for me at this stage of my life. I'm in shock (and denial) that Christmas is just 2 days away! I'm wishing desperately that I could make the clock stop... I once heard a man I admire say, "happy childhood memories = healthy adults." I think of that often. My hope is that we are creating happy memories for our kids as they grow up.
