I had decided that, instead of doing a bunch of small blogs to tell you all about each and every fun thing that we did to prepare for Christmas, I would do one big blog that encompassed all of December. I never planned on waiting until the last day in February to do it, but plans change.
After Thanksgiving my family, as is the tradition, went to our cabin in Rockville IN to hang out by the fire, ride four wheelers, and play in the woods. However, it was freezing cold and really windy that weekend, so the kids and I, along with almost everyone else besides Bryan and my dad bowed out. So, my mom and I took the kids to dinner and to downtown Zionsville to see Santa ride into town on a horse drawn carriage and light the town Christmas tree. You wouldn't believe how cold it was. Grandma ended up in the car and even Lilly asked when Santa was going to stop talked and light the tree. Jack never moved. I think he was afraid that any shift in his blanket might let in the cold air. Finally, after a few carols and a weird speech about Santa and Jesus being friends, Santa lite the tree and we evacuated to the warm car.
The following weekend the Traylors spent the day at Dull's Christmas Tree Farm looking for just the right tree...and enjoying all of the other things that Dull's has to offer.
Mazes in the hay.
Slides.
Porch Swings.
Bigger slides.
Group slides.
Hide and seek in the trees. This actually wasn't a planned game, but I left Bryan in charge to go to the bathroom and when I came back he was in the middle of a lively game of hide and seek...or more accurately a game of hide and "come out right now or we're going home!"
Photo ops in giant gifts.
And finally, the choosing of the Traylor Family Christmas Tree.
Riding on the horse drawn wagon. Everyone got really sleepy towards the end of the ride.
The waiting is the hardest part. Daddy waited in the line to have the tree shaken and bag while the kids and I waited on a log.
A couple of days later I abandoned my family to go Christmas shopping while Bryan and the kids put the tree up and decorated it.
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Well, Lilly and Bryan decorated the tree...Jack mostly just played in the mess.
After a little break from Christmas it was time for Lilly's Christmas program at school. It was less of a program and more of a sing a long and it was a lot of fun. The kids sang one or two songs in front of everyone and then joined their parents and grandparents on the floor to sing some carols together.
Daddy had an important meeting at work, but Grandma and Papaw came to sing for Lilly.
The day of the Christmas program was actually the first day of snow. And boy, was there a lot of it. After the program we went to Grandma and Papaws to play in the snow and make some buckeyes. I can't be sure, but I think Lilly is being followed.
The excitement of the day wasn't over. Later that same night Santa was scheduled to come through the neighborhood on a firetruck. We waited and waited and finally....
we heard them coming. Instead of sirens the fire truck was blaring Christmas music and Santa was waving from the top.
I cannot even begin to describe the excitement that Jack experienced, having seen Santa in the flesh...and more importantly a fire truck. Only later would we realize the confusion that ensue from this episode. When we would talk about Santa, or see pictures of him on a sleigh, Jack would become almost violent in his insistence that Santa would come, on Christmas night, on a fire truck. He also assumed that Santa lived at the fire station and that every fire truck was, in fact, Santa running errands.
Just hanging out after Santa went by.
Leaving out some home made cookies, carrots, and milk for Santa.
Lilly missed the photo op, but insisted that we re stage her involvement in the leaving out of cookies and milk.
Christmas morning before the mayhem.
The mayhem.
Playing with the trains that were in the toy box.
The next day Jack wasn't quite sure what to do or what to play with.
Playing outside to try and relieve the Christmas hangover.
It was all just too much.
