The most wonderful time of the year. Or is it?

I am having a hard time believing it is only 8 more sleeps until Christmas. It took me a while to get into Christmas this year, usually I am pulling out Christmas CDs in July and starting my shopping. Money was tight this summer so I didn't start as early as I normally do. Money is still tight, but I have had a bit of help from my own Father Christmas (aka my Dad) and some fantastic sales so I have managed to do pretty good. Of course, I have still yet to get Taylor and Liam's big gifts (an iPod touch for Taylor and a PSP for Liam). It was so much easier when they were little and you could buy 10 or so gifts for the $200 plus it now costs to buy one single gift for a teenager. But as much as I worry, I know that we are very lucky. Everyday in the paper there is a column about Adopt-a-teen, where low income families are given a $50 Wal-Mart gift card for their teens. As of today, 4000 teens still were in need of a gift card. I can't even imagine that being all my kids would get, so definitely, I know that we are blessed.

The other thing that was keeping my normal Christmas spirit at bay was the lack of snow. I can't believe I just said that! I always say that I would like the snow to arrive Christmas Eve and to be gone by New Years but really, it just isn't Christmas until it is white. I really don't think I could live somewhere warm. Or somewhere rainy, for that matter.

Normally, as soon as the Halloween decorations come down the "snow" ones go up (and stay up until mid-March, when I am finally absoultely sick to death of the snow!) But, with the exception of Remembrance Day there was no snow in November. I put off putting up the snow decorations until the last weekend of November.

Snowmen in the hallway.


In the last few days we have plenty of snowflakes to wish upon.


Put up the snow decorations and bring on the snow! Liam built this fort that Saoirse loved playing in.


Once the snow decorations were up it was time to get ready for the Christmas decorations. I just bought this one at a craft fair and although it is technically a snowman, he will only come out for the month of December.


He's perfect for our fireplace-less house. No more untying stockings from the bansiter. They tell me he can hold the weight of all our full stockings so we shall see.


A mish mash of decorations...the tree at the back was made by Saoirse in layschool last year, and the pine cone is from this year. On the right hand side you may notice a glass candle holder, it has an etching of Mary holding Jesus. I bought that for my Granny when I was about 13, it was one of the few things that remained with her for the next 15 years and when she passed away my aunt gave it back to me.


The Christmas tree, partially decorated. It is still only partially decorated. The girls keep removing decorations to play with them and they don't seem to make it back onto the tree. Saoirse is quite concerned over what ornaments belong to who and quite can't understand why Liam and Taylor have so many more than her and Sophie. I have told her that as they move out and have their own trees their ornamaments will be given to them and she is now laying claim to numerous ornaments. "Can I have this one when I grow up and have my own tree Mummy?"


I love these bells. I bought them about 8 years ago at a home craft show. They are hanging this year on my garage door so that I see them whenever I come in or go out.


So I'm feeling the Christmas spirit now. I constantly have the radio set to a station that has been playing Christmas music since the end of November. I wish I could find my Time Life Christmas Treasury CDs because it has about 4 songs I love that I never hear and have on no other CDs. I need to wrap a whole lot of gifts. I am stalking the Christian television station to make sure I watch all the Christmas episodes of Facts of Life, Happy Days and other retro sitcoms. We are reading multiple Christmas related books daily. I am pretty happy. I am excited to see how much Sophie will love Christmas this year. Everyday she says "Mummy! Guess what?" and when I say "What?" she says, with absolute glee, "Christmas!!!" How can you not love Christmas when you have little kids around?