Christmas 2009

The Christmas season last winter began in our family with our advent calendar, which contains a small ornament behind each door. The nightly ritual is for Andrea or I to review the previous ornaments ("What's on number one?" "What's on number two?") until we get to the current day. Then, the kid whose turn it is that evening opens the door and we discover what the new ornament is. Such a simple thing, but it's one that the kids adore, and one they'll remember for a long time, I'm sure.

What's it going to be tonight?

With the advent calendar up, it was time to start preparing in earnest... it was time for Christmas shopping for Andrea and I, and the kids were confronted with the arduous task of being good in preparation for the big day. In the midst of all the hubbub, though, we were amazed to have a surprise visitor at Owen's Preschool Christmas Program: Kris Kringle himself!

"Santa, just how good to I need to BE?"

The other boys enjoyed Christmas parties at school as well, which were simultaneously exciting...

Mmmmcheesemmm!

...and exhausting:

Who says you have wait until nighttime to dream about sugarplums?

We were blessed to have my parents join us for Christmas itself, and we were able to enjoy a tradition my family used to do growing up: driving around on Christmas Eve to look at Christmas lights (while listening to John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together, of course). We were able to take my parents to see the biggest displays in Greeley: the house just North of King Soopers on 35th Avenue, and of course the Greeley Grizwolds in Northwest Greeley. After all the oohs and aahs, we took the kids home, set out the milk and cookies, and tucked them in.

And then, it was time to see what Santa brought...

As happens every year, I started out the Christmas season thinking that we wouldn't have a lot, and we of course had far more than we could have imagined.

Here it is, almost August, and the kids still enjoy playing with the many, many presents they got... that is certainly a pretty good measure of success.