Hey, Y'all!: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was a little girl, my dad told me he wrote that song. (He didn't.) I believed it until we sang it in music class when I was in FOURTH GRADE and I saw the real writer's name on the sheet music. He lies.

But anyway.

Dean and Clifford helped decorate the tree this morning. Dean was more excited that EVER because he got to hang ornaments all on his own. It was so much fun to watch his excitement every time he unwrapped or opened another ornament. He asked, "Where's this from?" and we told him the story of all our special ornaments. He mostly liked the ones that were about him, which is understandable. We also pulled out the little Christmas tree that I've had since the mid-80s. I used to put it in my bedroom when I was growing up. It also travelled to college with me each year. It now lives in Dean's room. I love that he enjoys it as much as I did as a little kid.

This morning, we made gingerbread cookies.

Believe it or not, this was my first try at gingerbread. I think they turned out pretty cute. Dean LOVED them and purposely decapitated several of the angels so I'd let him eat them. He conked out for a nap this afternoon and I did some decorating.

The trees turned out to be super cute.

I took off around noon and did a little shopping. Our stocking were nowhere to be found in the boxes of decorations, so I sprung for new ones. Target was having a great sale, so I got Dean one with Lightnin' McQueen, Marcus one with a reindeer and me one with a snowlady. (A snowman wearing a pink scarf is a snowlady, right? Right.) I also got us each a Christmas plate to make dinnertime more festive.

This is my absolute favorite time of year. It was such fun this morning to laze around in my pj's listening to my Pandora Christmas station and learning to make a new holiday treat with my boy. Marcus did his usual excellent job of making sure we had an even distribution of red and silver ornaments all over the tree. If it ever stops raining. we'll put out our light-up candy canes in the yard. My silver jingle bell wreath is on the front door, the tree is lit and in the window, my kitchen smells like cookies, and my trunk is already full of gifts. I watched The Family Stone yesterday (and criiiiiiiiiiied) and Love Actually is on my list of things to watch tonight.

Bring it on , Christmas. Bring it on.