It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

At least at the Anderson house! Yes, it's true, I have broken even my own record by putting the tree up 2 weeks after Halloween! I am so ready for Christmas this year! Of course everyone who knows me knows that I love everything about Christmas (I had a Christmas wedding for goodness sakes!)-from driving around at night looking at lights, to listening to Christmas music, decorating the tree, and shopping for, wrapping, and giving gifts--I honestly love it all! I have such warm and sentimental memories of Christmas as a child and I am very much looking forward to passing those memories on the Ayden.

I love the giving spirit that's in the air and it's very important to us to teach Ayden the importance of giving to those less fortunate, and Christmas is a perfect time to start that lesson. We have adopted a 3 year old boy from the Angel Tree and I'm going to let Ayden choose a toy for him. I know Ayden doesn't totally understand the concept but this is a tradition I want to carry on every year and I hope he grows to love it. I have also volunteered to bake and decorate cookies for children at the NWA Children's Shelter, which again, Ayden is really too young to help or understand what we are doing, but I am hoping that by talking about what I am doing will help him begin to understand (in his very limited 2 year old way!) what it means to help others.

We are also starting another new tradition this year- staying home for Christmas Eve and Christmas day instead of going to Mena. We are going to spend the weekend before in Mena with all our extended family. I am very excited about reading Ayden "The Night Before Christmas" and the story of the birth of Christ from the Bible like my Mom always did on Christmas Eve. This will also be our first year to leave cookies for Santa and have Ayden's big Santa gifts sitting out under the tree when we wakes up. I absolutely can't wait!!

Here are pictures of our tree and stockings. I took Ayden to the Hallmark store and let him choose his own ornament this year, and he chose Thomas the Train--so cute! I really thought he would pick Mickey or Pooh, but he was all about the train! I also made us all new personalized stockings using stockings I bought on sale at Fred's in Mena a couple years ago and scrapbook sticker letters--super cheap and they turned out pretty cute! Andy and Gunner are sharing a stocking because we only had 4 holders :)

Our tree :)

Hanging his train ornament

Love the glow of Christmas lights!

Ayden's 3rd Christmas ornament!

The stockings are hung...

Our miniature tree and Christmas village