Christmas is just a few days away and now it finally looks like it! Our tree is up and decorated, along with our nativity, stockings, some random decorations on the wall, and the advent calendar. The advent calendar is one that my parents have had since I was little, that my brother and sister and I used to look forward to every December morning. It’s a garland of numbered burlap mittens and stockings to hold treats. It was passed down to me this year and I put it up for the boys. We picked up lots of small goodies from the Daiso, ¥100 store. Rhino’s figured it all out and comes downstairs first thing in the morning and heads straight for the corner with his treat! Next year Heron will be old enough to enjoy the small bits of chocolate and tiny toys, too. We also have stockings for the boys hanging on our wall, along with mine and Matt’s. Betty, an old friend of my parents’, made my stocking for my very first Christmas. I know it isn’t an adult’s stocking, but I love it and still want to hang it for myself each year. My mom made Matt’s stocking a few years ago to match. She’s been commissioned to make them for the boys as well, but is falling behind a little! So she sent us these cute store-bought stockings as place holders, until she’s finished embroidering new ones for them!

Pretty much everything has been up since Thanksgiving, the only problem around here is that the weather has been so nice! We got a little dusting of snow last month, but hadn’t seen anything since. Well, it’s finally happening. We’ve got enough out there for Matt to shovel! Rhino is excited about it, looks out the window and says snow (in a cute little nasal voice.) I’m looking forward to snowballs, snowmen, and snow angels in our near future!

On this day..

• Christmas Cookies - 2010