Sunday, December 6, 2009

Counting Down to Christmas

Our lives have been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks. We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jim's family, had Kyra's 3rd birthday party, and decorated the house for Christmas. I can't believe we're almost a full week into December already and I know this month is just going to pick up speed as we near the 25th.

Its so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and let December fly right on by. Before you know it, its Christmas morning and you find yourself trying to remember how you got there and what you did all month. This year, thanks to my amazingly crafty sister-in-love, Susan, we're taking a moment every day this month to slow down and remember what Christmas is all about.

Susan made Kyra (& Kylie, though she won't really appreciate it until next year) an Advent Calendar to help her count down the days until Christmas. Every morning we go into the front living room and get down the calendar and open another day. Inside each container is a little treat (usually candy, which is Kyra's favorite) and I tell her the number on the container means we're one day closer to Christmas. I also explain to her that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. And all the decorations and treats and presents are for Jesus' birthday party which is also called Christmas. I'm not sure how much of what I tell her is actually sinking in, but I enjoy talking to her about it anyway.

I have been documenting each day with my camera and have an album on facebook that gets updated daily with the latest pictures. To see the pictures and follow along with our countdown to Christmas, click on the following link: Countdown to Christmas.