Preparing for Christmas

We started decorating our house for the holidays on the last weekend of November. Daddy and Andrea decided to get creative with the tree decorations. Yes, those are Andrea's socks tossed on the tree. Needless to say, the socks were not allowed to remain in place.

Now, this is more the look we (well, Mommy was) were going for!

We had about 10 mismatched styles of stockings in our collection, so I decided it was time to get a nice set for the family.

A couple of days after we decorated the tree, Ryan helped me wrap the presents. Well, he had fun getting into everything, anyway.
"Where do I start?"

"Oh, I'm getting it now."

"Wrapping paper: both crinkly and tasty!"

"Sorry, Mama. I thought it was for me." (No, it was actually Kevin's!)

He was worn out after getting into all that mischief.

This is Mommy's favourite new thing this Christmas!

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Not much changed in our outdoor decorations, so I didn't take any photos, except this one.

I felt sorry for this little shrub by our front door. It reminds me so much of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I decided to decorate it like Charlie Brown did his, and got the same results. When I hung the ornament, brittle needles fluttered to the ground, and the shrub bent over a bit. However, it survived. "All it needed was a little love."

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We've only had one really snowy day so far, and even then, it was less than a half inch of accumulation. Still, it made for a pretty picture that evening.

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Ryan isn't crawling yet, but he rolls like a champion. It is his main mode of movement, and it gets him where he wants to go. It also gets him where he shouldn't go.

He is constantly derailing the train and getting into the presents!
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By the way, Andrea and Kevin have been SPAZ since the tree went up. There is no better word to describe the insanity around here lately. I provide photographic evidence below.

I guess it's an expression of pre-Christmas excitement. :)