Getting Ready For Christmas

Last week we decorated for Christmas. We went out back and cut our little "Charlie Brown" tree;pulled out all of our decorations (which were desperately in need of cleaning and were harboring lots of flies... Gross!!!Don't worry I cleaned them before Linc helped me :0) ) and strung up some lights. Last year at this time we were just trying to get through the colic and Christmas decorations were NOT on my list of things to get done, but this year Lincoln helped me pull everything out, which he loved, and then helped me decorate our little tree. He has done really well with leaving the tree alone and hasn't bothered any of the presents sitting under it. I think this year will be so much fun for him... it is funny to think back to last Christmas when I spent most of the evening in a back bedroom at my mom's old house while Linc screamed and everyone else played games and ate lots of food that I couldn't have, it really stunk :0) I can't wait for this Christmas to arrive. Levi and I have been debating which traditions to bring along from our childhoods and which new ones to add. I think we are going to try fasting all day on Christmas eve (we tried about a month ago and Levi made it to Lunch then he said he was going to just have a little snack and would then fast until dinner... I am not sure that is how fasting is supposed to work!!!) to get in the REAL spirit of Christmas and then... well I don't know yet. I have been gleaning ideas from a lot of the ladies at my church and there are so many options; some people make a birthday cake, some do presents Christmas eve, others Christmas morning, some do stockings, some do Christmas breakfast, some do Nacho bar on Christmas eve (one of my favorite traditions from my family), some do full on turkey and the works, some watch football, some have special ornaments and stockings (each person in my family has a special handmade stocking from Grandma Bass and she also makes us an ornament every year); some read the Christmas story etc. The list is LONG. I am not sure which we'll use and which will stick in our little family but I am excited to start our traditions with our little family and to build on the memories that Linc will have when he grows up!