merry merry

We made our annual trek out to Piper Mountain Christmas Tree farm to brave the wild back woods (actually well grooved paths flooded with like-minded tree hunters.)  I strive not to have duplicate posts on the blog but how can you not post pictures of two little girls dressed to the nines to go Christmas tree hunting??

Something very odd, and wonderful, has been happening lately.  The girls have been getting along.  Like in an "I adore you -  you are my sister" manner.  Shhh....don't tell anyone.  I'm terrified it will go away.

And somehow I never tire of taking this same picture of Sandi year after year playing lumber jack.

I believe "TIMBER!" was being shouted here.

 

Cozied in at home. 

Favorite holiday loves this year so far: warm lights aglow in the living room making everyday lighting unnecessary, holiday songs filling our house (and a reprieve from "Cuckoo"), Tricia and Brock's National Lampoon's Christmas vacation themed Christmas party complete with costumes,  donating Hannaford gift cards to an ICU family in need, hearing Maya yell through the house "YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!  YOU BETTER NOT CRY!", our 10th anniversary, the "magical" ornament Sandi concocted that hangs from the tree and mysteriously produces treats for the kids if they are being extra good to each other, watching Christmas movies and having Ella get some of the humor, Christmas books every night, candles in the windows (all 27), sharing the communal popcorn tin and voting for favorites (Carmel, butter or cheese), holiday cookie making, and the idea that at least for this month, it is more important to love than to fight.

Ella asked me the other night with big, fearful eyes if I though there was a chance she was on the naughty list.  As if.  Today she was asking me about how a toy she had was made.  I did my best to explain and then ended with, "there are people whose job it is to make toys." 

Pause.  "You mean  Elves?"

Favorite Christmas movie lines:

From "The Grinch" (said by the Grinch): "Solve world hunger.  Tell no one."
From "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (said by Clark Griswald): "How could things get any worse?  Take a look around you Ellen. We're on the threshold of hell!"
From "Elf" (said by Buddy the Elf): "You're not Santa.  You don't even smell like Santa.  You smell like meat and cheese.  You sit on a throne of lies."