Christmas Preparations, Part 1

Well it's that time of year again.  The time of year where our time is filled with preparations for the Christmas holiday.  So many things to do and it always seems like such little time to finish it all.  This year is no different than any other.  We have the house to decorate, shopping, putting the tree up and decorating that, holiday parties, shopping, Santa visits, Christmas baking, shopping, cookie decorating, Secret Santa at work, holiday volunteering.  And did I mention shopping?

The shopping part of the season never seemed all that bad, but add a few kids in there and it gets a little more difficult, especially when a good portion of the shopping is for them.  It wasn't a big deal when they were babies.  You could take them shopping with you and they were never the wiser to what was going on.  But tack on a few years and suddenly they know EVERYTHING that is going on.  Now I know some of you don't agree with Black Friday shopping or even understand why people shop on Black Friday.  Well the last couple years I've been one of those people who are out at 3am on Black Friday.  Yes, the deals are great and I usually go with a very good friend of mine.  So spending time with her is also an added bonus.  But I didn't realize until this year how important Black Friday shopping is to our family.  I did NOT go Black Friday shopping this year.  It just didn't seem important.  Until now.  We still have not gotten any of our shopping done and there are only 11 days until Christmas.  And if you know me, you know that I'm freaking out just a little because I hate leaving things until last minute.  So my anxiety is just slightly elevated right now knowing I don't have my shopping done.  So there is the reason I go Black Friday shopping....because I can get all my shopping done in the wee hours of the night when all my children are sleeping and the only time of year when stores are open that late/early.
Ok, but still keeping in perspective what is really important this time of year.  And here are a few of those things.....


Giving.
And teaching our boys the importance of helping those in need.  This year we participated with our church to do Operation Christmas Child.  We packed up 3 boxes, each boy of ours chose if they wanted to pack their box for a boy or a girl.  Of course, they all chose a boy.  We let the boys come shopping with us to pick out the items they wanted to pack in their boxes to be sent to a child in another country who does not have the resources to get gifts for Christmas or even their basic needs met.

Some of those items included bath towels, washcloths, soap, toothbrush, crayons, coloring books, cups, play doh, and a stuffed animal.   

The boys had fun helping to pack the boxes

And very proud of their work ;)

Then it was time to drop the boxes off at the church so they could be shipped over seas.  This is what the drop off area looked like a few days before they were shipped.  930 boxes shipped, just from our church alone!  Unbelievable!!  

We also participate in Adopt-A-Family each year and have done so for numerous years now.  This is a program in our county where people can volunteer to buy gifts for individuals or families who are less fortunate or who have disabilities and may not have family to be with during the holiday season.  Being a social worker in Olmsted County I get to see first hand the impact these gifts have on people they are gifted to.  Most people who sign up to receive gifts make a wish list of items that you and I take for granted.  For example, it's not uncommon to have a wish list that looks like this:

bath towels

sheets

socks

soap

clothes

coat

mittens.....

You get the idea.  It's such a fun program to be a part of and knowing you are making a difference in someone's life.  We always wrap up some fun stuff to go along with the necessities too.  This year we were able to help 2 individuals get the Christmas they wanted. 

Spending time with those you love.

We have so much family to spend time with need to space out our Christmas'.  We have one Christmas this weeked, Christmas in Harmony on Christmas Eve, Christmas in Byron Christmas day, Christmas the Saturday after Christmas and still one Christmas to schedule.  Uffda, that's a lot of Christmas celebrations!

Decorating for Christmas.

But seriously, spending time with those you love definitely goes along well with decorating our house for Christmas.  We certainly didn't go all out like we normally do.  Let's be honest....most of what we put up with be taken down within seconds by 3 rambunctious hooligans that we endearingly call our beloved sons.  So here ya have it.  

Decorating the tree

I guess we can tell which branch is Charlie's!!

A full mantle :)