I did finally get my Christmas stuff up and I love coming home to my house filled with lights. Here is what we ended up doing!
Entryway looking into the living room
Close-up
Over the TV with my reindeer
Dining Room with my Snowflake china
Snowflake china from Target, been collecting this set for 5 years
I would love to have my Martha Stewart part of the house, and then also a Dr. Seuss part of the house for Christmas decorations, so here is my small shout out to him for now. Seriously, I want to live in a room that looks similar to the way Universal Studios decorates for Grinch-mas.
Another Christmas conundrum for us is what are we going to do with Mason regarding...dun dun dun...Santa! I was afraid I was being too Chapel Hill about my desire not to do Santa, but looking at a mom I met through the adoption ministry at Summit, I got some good insight. She posted this blog. I realized that I was not making a choice about robbing my child of the "joys" of Santa, but rather focusing on what I need to teach him is the focus. I think that each generation of parents feels like they have arrived in the "how to's" of raising children in their current society, but I had to get over myself. Choosing Jesus over Santa should not be a decision I should be ashamed of. I think it is important like the blogger said not to ruin things for other kids. We are just lucky that we got to look at this before Mason was ever introduced to the red jolly man. We may even get our picture with him on Thursday at Pullen Park, but he won't become his world for the holiday. Well, I guess we will see how much influence we have rather than school and friends and TV. Watch Mason become a Santa freak who dresses up in tights in hopes of becoming like Buddy the Elf (because smiling is my favorite). Hopefully we won't look back on this decision and wish we had let him have fun with the idea.
I think I am almost done with our Christmas shopping now, just a few crafty details to do for the in-law presents and gathering supplies for my always epic challenge, getting Bill Hottel (FIL) the best present ever that makes him laugh and or cry. Last year we relied on his food love and made a moon pie tree for him which made him bust out laughing. I think I can make him cry this year with my epic plan though ... mwahahahaha! We have some fun Christmas parties heading our way and a lot of baking of the famous Mead Family toffee...I can't wait! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
