Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us. Christmas songs on the radio, a tree in the living room, and the first early memories of a visit to that great weaver of childhood dreams and wonder, Santa Claus.  

Baby Jesus in his manger and stories of the first Christmas fail to strike the same fear as a large man in a red suit and white beard. Note the look of horror on my children's sweet faces as we visited our first Santa last week at Alpenrose Dairy. Begin with the jingling of bells, then add a hearty HO HO HO, and enter one very real Santa Claus with a bag of toys and candycanes!   

Jude warmed up enough to collect his reward for being brave, but Ada was having nothing to do with this Santa. We've seen several Santas in the last week, and each one seems to raise their esteem and appreciation for the jolly old elf. I suppose it will wear off, but for now the magic is alive and well!

Christmas season brought a strange new compulsion for me to try and "create" an experience for my children, to build that tradition of magic and wonder that I remember from my childhood. But I think I've settled down a bit on that front. The season makes itself wonderful. Sometimes it's best to just let it happen!  

We are very lucky for everything that we have this year. Three holiday parties this past weekend has left us with a short break and time off from school before the big Christmas event next weekend. Jude snapped this photo of us before the Aunt Ginny Holiday Soiree!