Christmas already?....I can't believe it!!

Christmas is next week!! I feel like it was just halloween. This is my favorite time of year, the whole season! I love listening to the music, the lights, smell of baking goodies, and watching the snow fall from our living room window. Christmas has been so fun with a 3 year old running around. The first thing Hailey does every morning is turn on the Christmas lights on our tree, she has also taken on the responsibility of keeping Jaden away from the presants. As soon as he gets close enough to touch, Hailey will grab him by the ankles and drag him across the room, and then proceed to tell him, "No touch till Christmas Jaden!!" If he comes back around to touch them again she will roll him over and over until he is on the other side of the room. It is so funny to watch.
I am on the activities commitee in our ward, and for the Christams party this year we decided to have a live Nativity. We had about 5 three year olds play the parts. Hailey was asked to be Mary and it was the cutest thing! We asked someone in our ward to read Luke 2 and the children were all dressed up sitting on stage surounding a baby Jesus. They didn't have to say anything or even move, but we had some cute reactions. We were nervous they would panic being in front of 200 people, but luckily there were no tears. Hailey would wave to daddy, and stroke baby Jesus's head, it was priceless!!
A tradition I have been doing for the last 6 years or so has been takng my little sister, Celeste, Christmas shopping. We have had so much fun getting together and just spending time together. My kids were able to tag along this year, and they LOVED hanging out with Aunt Celeste! We went to dinner and Hailey had to sit by her. Every 30 seconds she had something new to tell Celeste.
A favorite memory of mine at Christmas time when I was growing up was when all of us kids would pile in the car and my parents would take us to go look at the lights on candy cane lane. This has been something Brandon and I have started to do since Hailey was old enough to enjoy them. One night for FHE we went to dinner, looked at the lights and then went to Hallmark to pick out Jadens, " Baby First Christmas" ornament. It was so much fun. It is still crazy to me to think that I am now in the adults shoes and trying to make the holidays special for my kids. I can't remember gifts that I have been given for Christmases growing up, but I do remember the traditions, that is what made them so special. Brandon and I have talked about our favorite traditions growing up, and what ones we want to carry on with our kids. I know it will take a couple years to try them out, and see which ones work best, but I am excited because I have an AMAZING family to share the Holidays with. Merry Christmas!