Skip to main content

Christmas is Coming…

Christmas has arrived in our house.

Living so far away from family, it’s been hard to create holiday traditions of our own. So many of the traditions that we love are tied to our family in Montreal. Slowly, Pierre and I have been creating new traditions, while incorporating old ones, to have memorable experiences with our boys.

One of these is decorating for Christmas the weekend after American Thanksgiving. Now, I know that this might be way too early for some. After all, it isn't even December yet! We’re almost as bad as the retailers. But, here’s the thing: Christmas is a magical time of year. Sure, all the shopping and the crowds and the money spent can be really, really stressful. But, kids don’t see any of that. What they see are lights and trees and brightly wrapped packages. They hear songs and bells, and dream of Santa. So, why not celebrate that as much as possible?

And besides, I love the way that the house looks all dressed up for the holidays. That’s not to say that I won’t be completely sick of vacuuming up pine needles by January, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

So, this was our get ready for Christmas weekend. We put up the lights and garland outside, did a little shopping (yes, on Black Friday…people were courteous, so it was ok), and decorated the house. The best part? On Saturday morning we went out for brunch, then chose our tree. Each year we buy a tree from a small, friendly, local nursery. The owner greeted the boys’ enthusiasm with his own to match, and we drove away with a gorgeous Douglas-fir tied to the roof.


DSC02147DSC02152
The boys look for the perfect tree.

While the boys napped, I made a wreath for our front door. Pierre had cut back one of our cedar trees to make room for the shed. Why let all those beautiful boughs go to waste?

DSC02167

Then, it was time to decorate our tree. Pierre put carols on the Ipod, I put munchies out to snack-on (a tradition borrowed from my parents), and the boys put on their pajamas. Ben and Nicholas loved that they could eat in the living-room, in their pjs, without having to sit at the table, while decorating the tree. What could be better? We slowly unwrapped ornaments, reminiscing over each. Since we’ve been married, Pierre and I have collected Christmas ornaments from each place that we’ve visited together.  Now, we have fun remembering each trip as we hang decorations on the tree. And this was the first year that Benjamin and Nicholas fully helped to dress our tree. While Pierre and I hung the more fragile ornaments ourselves, there was plenty for our two little elves to help with.

DSC02189

When we were all done, the four of us sat back to admire our handiwork. Then, Ben piped-up:

“Does this mean it’s Christmas tomorrow?”

Um, nope. It’s still awhile to Christmas, but we’ll have fun waiting.

xo Naomi

Comments

  1. Melissa BinnsNovember 27, 2012 at 2:00 PM

    I enjoy reading your posts Naomi! Your boys are so sweet and you've inspired me to get our tree up this weekend:) Melissa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NaomiNovember 27, 2012 at 2:44 PM

      Hi Melissa!
      Thank you so much. It is so fun for me to know that you read my blog!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Medicine

So, after blogging about Ben’s ear infection, a good friend messaged me on Facebook with a unique remedy for ear pain. She’s had a ruptured eardrum, so if she says that this works, I’m inclined to believe her. Here’s the message: “If Ben complains about pain, take an onion and mash it as you would a potato. Then, wrap it in something and heat it in the microwave till it’s hot (not hot like I'll burn you if I touch it, but hot). Take it out of the microwave and wrap it in a towel (don't worry you can wash it out after), put it on a pillow and then have Ben put his sore ear on it. When he no longer feels the heat, move a piece of towel away so he is one layer closer to the onion.” What do you think? Neat, eh? My pediatrician recommended a few drops of olive oil in the ear to ease pain. I’ve tried it with Ben, and it seemed to give him some relief. I’m going to try the onion. Why not? It’s an alternative that just might work. And I think that Ben would find it kind of fun to put...
7 comments
Read more

Here we go….

I’ve been wanting to start a blog for a while now. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about starting it, talking about starting it, tinkering with the layout (and that was hard because I am basically a computer-dummy), and now, writing it. Is anyone actually going to read what I write on here? Maybe. Well….my mom will read it (Hi Mom!). Regardless, I do have a purpose to starting this, and here it is: Deciding to be a mom was one the very best decision that I have ever made (second only to marrying Pierre), and I want to share that. The time spent being home with my boys goes by so fast. Ok….let’s rephrase that….actual days can seem endless (and there are definitely times when I call Pierre at work, and tell him not to dare come home without wine. Or chocolate. Or both!!), but still each day, each week, seems to be going by faster and faster. I blinked and my youngest went from being a baby to turning three years old this coming Tuesday. And the next time I blink he’ll be thirty-three!...
4 comments
Read more

A Brother’s Love

The boys had ice-cream for dessert tonight. In fact, not only did they have ice-cream, they had an ice-cream sundae with whipped cream and strawberries, a special treat as only Grandma can make. Spoiled little bugs. Just as my two sweet-toothed monkeys were about to dig-in, Grandpa, being “the silliest” as Nicholas calls him, pulled a fast one. Taking Nicholas’ bowl of ice-creamy-yumminess, Grandpa said: “Mmmm-mmmm. That’s my ice cream, Nicholas. Thank you!” And he pretended to gobble up the bowl. Nicholas was not impressed. He stuck-out his bottom lip, and gave a somewhat convincing fake cry while burying his little head in his chair. I wouldn’t have awarded him an Oscar for this particular performance, but his point was clear enough: Grandpa had his ice cream, and he wasn’t going to let it be eaten without protest. Now Benjamin, watching all this unfold, had a very different reaction. His big, blue eyes welled up with tears, not of the crocodile variety, his face cru...
4 comments
Read more