Things I Love About Christmas...

in no particular order...

• big colored lights and tiny twinkly white lights
• all the great Advent and Christmas music at Mass
• driving around, looking at Christmas lights
• decorating the Christmas tree
• taking a walk down memory lane with each ornament that has meaning
• my mom's Christmas morning brunch - yum!
• baking cookies
• seeing family, especially my cousins
• sending out Christmas cards
• Christmas parties and brunches with my friends
• going to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert with Michael and friends
• replacing my everyday dishes with the snowman dishes
• the little trees that go in the kids rooms - I love how they decorate them!
• putting out my Nativity
• going shopping at the Mall with Maddie's special needs class
• decorating gingerbread houses at the Fuller's annual gingerbread party
• wrapping gifts
• making the Reis family calendar
• I love that Lucy wears a Christmas shirt almost every day in December!
• hanging up the photo cards we receive on the banister garland
• listening to Christmas music
• the giant walk-through wreath on the front of my parent's house
• trying (unsuccessfully most of the time!) to find the pickle ornament before my sisters do
• watching the kids unwrap their gifts
• wine slush
• Christmas Eve Mass
• playing games and hanging out on Christmas Day
• meeting Pam and her kids for our annual Christmas Skyline Chili lunch
• St. Nicholas Day

A Visit with Santa...

Today, Sam got to see Santa for the first time this year.  He has been anxious to tell the big man what he wants for Christmas!  We were at Kenwood Station Elem. for Lucy's choir concert and the school's winter carnival.  Sam had no hesitation in seeing Santa and told him he wanted GeoTrax trains for Christmas.  But he expected Santa to dip into his bag and pull it out NOW!  He threw a major fit, as only Sam can do, when we tried to tell him that he would have to wait until Christmas morning to see if Santa brought him a new train. Patience is something the boy is sorely lacking!