Our Christmas Traditions

Merry Christmas, y'all! We are really getting excited for the big day here at our house! Since having kids Christmas has gotten more fun each year! This year, so far, has topped them all!

I've had a lot of fun creating fun family traditions that I hope in years to come my kids will look back on fondly.  Here are a few of those traditions!

 This is our tree just after we got it put up! We always put our tree up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving! And yes, it is a Texas Longhorn-themed tree because we are still fans no matter how bad they are! Bevo is our tree-topper!

 On top of Bevo, is Taurus, our Elf on the Shelf.  This is our 3rd Christmas with Taurus (Zade named him when he was 2, so.....)

For those who aren't familiar, the Elf on the Shelf is a book that comes with a story.  The story is that this elf needs a family to adopt him.  He shows up each Christmas and keeps an eye on the kids for Santa.  Each evening when they go to sleep he goes back to the North Pole (cause he's magic and can do that) and reports to Santa on how the kids are doing.  The point is to keep the kids from misbehaving during the Christmas season - it doesn't work - but a nice thought. 

On this particular evening Taurus, "landed" on Bevo's head.  We've found him in the oddest spots - like the candy basket with a lollipop in his hand, inside a bird cage, hanging upside down from the ceiling fan, etc.  The kids love waking up in the morning to figure out where he is.  The problem- sometimes Mom and Dad forget to move him - or once he fell from the spot he was in.  That was a dilema since you're not supposed to touch him. 

It's been a lot of fun!

 Every year the kids make applesauce ornaments to put in the stockings of their grandparents and aunts and uncles! It's super easy and fun! They smell GREAT!

 Gracie got to go to see The Nutcracker with her Girl Scouts group!

 She loved seeing all the pretty ballerinas! They even got to go back stage and meet a ferw of them!

Matt was working the Christmas Parade for Irving this year so the kids and I decided to go and watch it while he worked.  He was leading it so he had us park right up front where he was.  When we got out of the truck a man approached him and asked if we wanted to be in the parade with the State Representative.  The kids loved throwing candy to all the kids and riding in the antique fire truck! They had a blast! It was definitely a first for all of us!

Tonight we will be making our Santa cookies and getting ready to go out to the sticks to my Ma and Pa's house on Christmas Eve! We're having fried catfish! (Odd, I know!)

I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas!