Making Merry.

The Booker Family Christmas Tradition of celebrating at least a week before everyone else in the world, began long ago and far away when we lived in Pennsylvania and we had just one wee hoolie to call our own.

We were college students - again, -  we had the eagerly anticipated Christmas break where we could go home for a couple of weeks to be with our families; and we planned to spend one with his parents and one with mine.

School breaks were always too short and always too rushed, and now we were new parents to boot --- so we decided that year that we would have our own little Christmas just the three of us, we'd start our own little family traditions of our own - and then when the real Holiday rolled around, we'd fully embrace the chaos and the crazy that came with running over the river and through the woods to see everyone, and we'd embrace all of the tradition and fun that came with being with each side of our families...without sacrificing the traditions and memories that we wanted to begin to instill into our own little family unit.

Plus, we have found throughout the years that it really helps to spread out the crazy a bit, as well.  It just kind of works for us, and we all love having three separate little celebrations instead of one big day of CRAZY.

So...thus...henceforth and hither-to-with began the above mentioned Booker Family Several Days Before Christmas - Christmas Festivus!  Joy to the world in all of its glory.

And I. Love. It.
 It's simple.  It's sweet.  And it's just us.
Every year we keep some of the traditions the same, and every year we add something different - depending upon ages and moods...and energy levels....and wherever we are at in that season of life.

 This year, after naps and an early supper, we had a five-house gingerbread village decorating party.

 I made the frosting too thin, I broke most of the house pieces when I tried to cut them apart, candy was flying everywhere, and the houses kept perpetually falling over.

Epic fail.

But, the kids were good sports..and it all just became some sort of "interpretive art with heavy sampling of the goods" kind of a party.

See?
Behold the awesome.
Moving right along...

We followed this saga of fantastic-ness with our annual scavenger hunt to find their one Christmas Eve gift.

I write simple little clues and hide them all over the house...intentionally sending them from the top floor to the basement and back up to the top floor to a bedroom to the basement back up top and down again.  You get the picture.  It's a marathon of sorts.  Kev and I sit back and sip our coffee and enjoy the fifteen minutes of relative peace that this fun little tradition brings us.  It's a great plan.

The boys enjoy the "scavenging" as much, if not more, than the actual gifts.  It's a fun, silly tradition.

And THEN!

After a little Christmas movie and some fun little snacks, we tuck the hoolies into their beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, and we have our own little Christmas Eve Festivus of our own.....traditionally involving some sort of horrendous for you food and a fun show.  Tony's Pizza was our dating and early years of marriage memory.  Super cheap and super bad for you...along with our favorite blueberry soda...topped off with heath bar ice cream.

The babe leapeth within my womb.
Sorry, Love.  I shall try harder, I promise....

 And once I am sure the boys are down for the night, I set the table for the morning with some fun little surprises and traditional treats...like hot chocolate, individual milks and applesauces, and their own little maple syrups for our morning pancakes.

It's the little things...

We fill their stockings...
We lay out their gifts...along with all of their little animals all around - per their request...
And we sneak upstairs with visions of sugar plums dancing in our own heads.

Christmas with little ones under foot is truly the most magical time of the year.
Simple little gifts still bring them great pleasure.
They are just as excited to give out the homemade gifts of their own.
Silly little traditions fill up their love tanks.
And simple, heartfelt prayers at bedtime show that they KNOW the reason for this season.

Sweet innocence.
Childhood excitement.
Brother love.
Simple presents.
Honest prayers.
Making memories.

Slowing and savoring.