I'm a firm believer that holidays are what you make of them. If you don't make an effort to make Christmas special, it won't be. And, honestly, it does require effort, planning, and then (most importantly)
happy execution of those plans! :) This Christmas is Charlie's second one. He probably still won't remember any of it, but I really wanted to start forming family traditions.
On Wednesday we took Charlie to meet Santa Claus at Provo Towne Center mall. We went about 3:30 in the afternoon and it was GREAT! Not one person was in line (Santa's elves were looking pretty bored) and they were great to let me take my own pictures.
Daddy went with Charlie to meet Santa for the first time while I stood to the side to take pictures. Here they are getting acquainted:
Charlie did a pretty good job at first. He still wasn't too sure, but the moment he decided he wanted to wiggle and Santa held him down he started to get MAD! It's no wonder kids cry on Santa's lap! Strange man, funny outfit, beard, and they aren't allowed to wiggle! :P But I think by the end of it, Charlie decided that they could be friends and told Santa he wanted some fun toys for Christmas.
In addition to Charlie meeting Santa, I've been doing just a little bit of decorating to help us all feel the spirit of Christmas. Pictured below is my amazing ceramic nativity scene. There's a lot of family history behind this nativity. My grandmother (my mom's mom) used to love to paint ceramics and had painted figurines just like these for her own nativity. Then, my mom and her sisters began to collect the pieces. So, when I got married, my mom went on a hunt to see if she could find the molds for the same nativity so I could have one as well. She and her sisters and friends hunted for awhile until they found a place in South Carolina who made the pieces. My mom traveled to pick up the pieces and then, with a lot of love and patience, she and some of our friends and family members painted the ceramics so they would look identical to the ones that my mom and grandmother had. Such a special gift, and these pieces (Mary, Joseph, cow, donkey, baby Jesus, and the manger) are only the beginning. There are shepherds and sheep and wise men and camels I will slowly acquire over the years. I'm so grateful to be able to display this gorgeous work of art in my home!
And then, of course, our Christmas tree and stockings (Charlie's isn't pictured). I finally gave in and purchased a tree topper this year and I really like it! I am also enjoying having my tree on the end table in the corner so Charlie can't get to the ornaments. Pure genius, I tell you :D
And here's my sad attempt at Christmas tree bokeh. :)
Another tradition I'll be doing is getting Charlie an ornament every year. For his first Christmas he was gifted a "Baby's First Christmas" red gift ornament with a picture frame (you can kind of see it in the right picture below on the left part of the tree above the angel). This year, I wasn't sure what to get him. I searched for a while until I found this adorable little Corn Popper ornament from Hallmark. Did I mention it actually works and the tiny beads pop around when you roll it? I knew I had to have it! And then my parents decided, if I was going to get the ornament, Charlie needed to get an actual Corn Popper toy for Christmas, so they bought him one! Christmas with a little one is SO MUCH FUN!
Finally, to help us really start feeling the Christmas spirit, we went out looking at Christmas lights tonight. We rode around the foothills of Provo (some really nice houses!), listened to peaceful and joyous Christmas music, sipped hot chocolate, and looked at all the fun and beautiful decorations. Charlie was quickly asleep in the back seat, but it was really nice for Trev and me to just talk and enjoy this time of year. It's moments like these that I will always treasure.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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