We have been busy making treats, giving treats away, and eating treats! So far I have made cinnamon rolls, chocolate covered peanut butter crackers (These are super good by the way! Put peanut butter between two Ritz crackers, and dip them in melted almond bark. They taste a lot like kit kat bars.), and chocolate covered marshmallows. Today David and I made sugar cookie dough, which we will bake and decorate tomorrow.  I am also making more cinnamon rolls to put in the freezer. I had originally thought we would have pizza for dinner on Christmas eve, but I have decided to do something different. I was thinking about Christmas eve at my grandmothers (my mom’s mom) when I was a kid. She would have a deli tray, chips and dips, cookies, etc. for everyone. I became nostalgic and ordered a deli tray! I am also going to make my mom’s chili cheese dip she used to bring. It’s delicious and easy to make! (two cans of chili with no beans, about half a box of velveeta cheese, and some rotel or salsa to taste.)  Jim and Alesia (Andrew’s dad and mom) are coming Christmas eve. They are going to help us with the kids while Andrew and I are at church. We will all probably have to eat in shifts, so the deli tray should work out great! We are having turkey on Christmas day. I had an extra turkey in my freezer from thanksgiving so Andrew is going to roast it. We will have the usual sides, such as mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, cranberries, and rolls. I am going to make a chocolate cake for dessert!

I wrapped all my packages today! I am ready for Christmas! Of course the best part about wrapping presents is playing with the cardboard rolls after all the paper is gone! We were having sword fights!

Emma has been so sweet with her baby dolls. She was rocking her baby in her pink chair the other day. This morning I took a picture of her giving Mickey Mouse a hug.

David has been playing with his new toys from Christmas at Jim and Alesia’s. He has played with each toy for quite a bit of time before moving on to the next. Here we are playing the “Yeti in my Spaghetti” game he got. This is really a cute game for younger kids. It’s a little bit like Jenga.

Tonight after dinner we drove around and looked at Christmas lights! I love doing this! Dad and Mom used to do this with us when we were kids, and I’ve always loved it. We were going to ride the holiday express train at the park, but it was raining. So we just drove around and looked for decorated neighborhoods. I love when whole neighborhoods decorate! There is something beautiful and magical about Christmas lights!

I’ve also been trying to watch all the Christmas movies/episodes that I love! Here are a few of my favorites.

Episodes: Christmas at Plum Creek from Little House on the Prairie. The Christmas Story from the Andy Griffith Show.

Movies: Christmas with the Kranks, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, A Christmas Carol (We’ve watched the Muppet one, and the Disney one.).

What are some of your favorites?

PK