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

Christmas!
Without a doubt, this is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the decorations, the music, the excitement, the memories/nostalgia, the anticipation, the traditions, the generosity, and the spirit of this season celebrating Jesus' birthday. Experiencing it with my girls is quite possibly the best thing ever. 

We started early this year, decorating before the leftover turkey had even been consumed. 

We searched for the perfect singing/dancing holiday creatures. Which of course required testing the singing and dancing capabilities of each and every one simultaneously much to the chagrin of Lowe's employees and customers. In full disclosure, we didn't actually buy one (insert shameful face here). I'm not THAT crazy.

We made hot chocolate on chilly days, a first for some of us. 

"Leese like ha chalat!"

We visited Santa and enjoyed time with the best of friends. 

We protested coats continuously, a theme not just reserved for the holiday season.

No coat. Not cold, Mommy!

We incorporated Christmas into our homework assignments. When asked at school to draw an event from beginning, middle, and end, Elle produced this masterpiece. In case you can't tell, she has depicted with amazing (to unbiased Mom eyes) accuracy our family assembling and decorating our tree. I only briefly felt publicly shamed for depriving my children of a real tree. My favorite is the last panel showing a beaming Mom and Dad watching with pride as Elle and Elise hang the final ornaments in place. In reality, there should have been an angry Mom and Dad sighing in exasperation as the Taller Child picked up and promptly dropped the largest, fanciest, most ornate ornament in the box. After repeatedly being asked to wait for parental assistance. Oh well. Sometimes life is prettier in pictures. 

For the record, our 12ft artificial tree is now on Craigslist. Vowed to go real next year.

In a similar theme of life appearing rosier in pictures, this photo's caption could say something sweet about adorable sisters playing reverently with the nativity. 

More accurately, it should include a voiceover from Fed-Up Mom, "If you two can't share baby Jesus, I'm going to have to take him away!" Go go gadget Christmas spirit. 

There were attempts at creative holiday-themed breakfasts.

Green egg tree, canadian bacon ornaments, turkey sausage trunk, and gouda star

We celebrated with Elle's Kindergarten class at their party... including Gnam Gnam Bistro boxed lunches, gelato, and 90% of stay-at-home moms (and an equally disproportionate number of dads present). You know your kid goes to a yuppie public elementary school when the party dessert is gelato. 

Adorable songs performed by the class

I can't compete with gelato. But I can still exert a low-level degree of control over Elise's sugar consumption at daycare by sneakily signing up for juice boxes and showing up with these alternatives. 2 year olds can't stage a coup over these cuties, can they? Surely the red noses and googly eyes are enough to distract from the lack of high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors? One can hope.

Our elf was very calm this year (i.e. Mom was very lazy and uncreative), and didn't get into too many wacky situations. But he did generously bring the girls pajamas a few days before his return to the North Pole.

Letters to Santa were written. In Kindergarten handwriting and spelling "Der Santa, I wut evrethig", which really alleviates the trouble of individually listing all the items circled in the myriad of toy magazines Elle perused. Her mainstay requests were Magnatiles, Schleich animals, and a Snoopy sno-cone maker. 

We were thus armed and ready for the holiday festivities to begin. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, indeed.