It's no secret I love this time of year.
The lights, the music, the decorations, the joy, the packages tied up with strings..
these are just a few of my favorite things.
Another favorite,
the traditions.
Now that we've got our own little family, we've made a few of our own.
Last year we wrapped books to be opened each night of December before Christmas,
an advent calendar of sorts {as seen on Pinterest}
It went so well last year we did it again this year and it's been another success.
Lauren looks forward to opening her 'gift' each evening,
I look forward to reading her a book with a special Christmas message
and surprisingly we have had no issues with any presents being opened during the day or unattended.
That's a big toddler success.
We added another advent calendar into the mix this year
{because I don't believe you can have too many}
Each morning we check our bag for the day.
Somedays we find a simple fruit snack, a fun size bag of M&M's, or maybe even a lollipop if she is really lucky.
Other items have been a book, a new hair bow, or a Santa yo-yo.
My favorites are the activities, baking cookies with Mom, spending the afternoon at a bounce house, riding the Christmas Train, or a movie with Mom & Dad.
While our advent calendars have been successes, our visit with Santa was not.
Again.
Lauren talked up her visit with Santa.
She was going to sit on his lap and ask for something Elsa, Anna, & Olaf.
But that didn't happen.
She lost it as we approached and couldn't pull herself together.
To top it off, Dad had some difficulties with the camera and managed to get just a few photos in focus.
His work Christmas party was the night before... I'm just saying.
So here's our 2015 Santa photo:
Lauren got a balloon out of the deal and was completely thrilled that her visit was over
Now, anytime we mention Santa she reminds us that 'she cried'.
Oh honey, we know.
We've also enjoyed our share of Christmas outings.
Last weekend, we enjoyed The Christmas Train and our local Santa in the Park celebration.
We've looked at a lot of lights,
had multiple Santa sightings,
and even got to pet a reindeer & a cow
{Lauren's dream come true}
And what has become a favorite tradition of mine,
Lauren's annual Christmas tree photo.
There's something about the magic of Christmas the comes through in these photos,
quite a bit more than that Santa picture.
And to see how much she's changed from last year...
my goodness.
There is magic in these for years to come.
Until she won't cooperate with me anymore,
but the Christmas magic in the air doesn't allow me to even go there...
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