Tis the Season...

... For chaos. Thanksgiving was nice. We went to a friends house, and had a blast. It is nice to have friends around that you can spend holidays with when you're so far from family. It was a nice relaxing day, stuffing ourselves silly. Sadly after every Thanksgiving, comes the crazy rush of gift giving, long lines, traffic, and going from store to store trying to find the most popular toy of the season cause every kid's 'gotta have it'. I did brave Black Friday, for the first time ever. Though it was not as bad as I had imagined, it was so much busier than I like. I usually go to the store early afternoon on a weekday so I can avoid the big crowds. On the plus side, I got some awesome buys. Matt a.k.a 'Num Yummy' or 'Gigantor the man-baby' needed some new clothes desperately because we can't keep up with his growing, and I was able to get everything at least half price, if not better. The boy's Christmas shopping is completely done, for the first time so far in advance. YAY ME!

Today I took the boys to Hallmark for our annual trip to pick out a new tree ornaments. It starts the Christmas season so nicely, and they love picking out their own for the new year. Drew picked out Rocket from Little Einsteins, and Nate picked Wall-e (though he's never seen the movie). We got Matt a Winnie the Pooh 'baby's first Christmas'. We had to run into Safeway for coffee, and in there was a guy with a white beard wearing a Santa hat and red shirt. I pointed him out to the kids, and they were gitty and beaming with joy. We came home, set up the tree, and decorated it. It was an awesome trip down memory lane. My mom had sent all of her old Christmas stuff out to me over the summer. I let the boys hang all the ornaments, so at about 2 feet up there's a giant cluster, but they enjoyed it so I can't complain.

A few years back, I became really disenchanted with Christmas. I saw people around me becoming so greedy, that the point of the holiday had been totally lost. I'm not a christian so the religious aspect doesn't really apply to me, but family togetherness and making others happy is what I truly enjoy. I do still see a lot of greed and the spirit of 'gimme'. But starting traditions with our kids, and seeing how happy they are on Christmas morning has re-opened my heart to enjoying the season again. I love that they enjoy picking out gifts for other family members, because it makes me believe they get it, even at a young age. I feel bad leading them down the 'Santa story' road, cause we all know how that ends, but it's all so magical to them now. I wish I could see life through their eyes for a day, where everything is wonderous and amazing. Growing up takes a lot away, but when you're young you're in such a rush to get to the next milestone. I'm sure dozens of people told me to enjoy childhood, and I'd think: what do they know? I hope our boys listen to me because over here, the grass is dry and brown. Long live Santa!

"We grow up way too fast, and now there's nothing to believe..." -Goo goo dolls, Name