It's Begining To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas is in the air and I LOVE it! My favorite time of year got even better when I became a mom. It's so magical and joyful and I get excited about it in October. Although this year it just doesn't seem like it could possibly be the end of November yet.

Even before Thanksgiving, we got into the Christmas spirit. What better way to kick off the season than the Festival of Trees? First things first, meet with the big guy! Anna was excited and shy with Santa. And this was Zack and Santa's first meeting. It didn't go over well. Zack stared at him for a good 90 seconds without moving.
After his analysis was complete it was easy to tell that Santa did not pass. Zack did not approve. His serious face became squishy and sad and the waterworks began.
Maybe he'll go over better next year with Zack. Anna however, still loved Santa and Mrs. Claus and especially the elf because she's the one that gave her a candy cane.

Anna loved all of the other activities. She made lots of crafts and even got a Christmas Tree painted on her face. Which was the result of a major meltdown the next morning before church when she realized it had washed off in the tub.

That night we went on a little "Christmas Stroll" at a little shopping village nearby. We met some carolers and even got to see Santa AGAIN! Lucky girl!

This past week Anna and I had fun putting together a Christmas Box for a child in a 3rd world country. We found fun toys she would like, some treats, and hygiene stuff like toothbrushes and combs. It was a lot of fun and Anna got really excited about it, even though she really wanted some of the candy in there!

We wrapped it all up.

And dropped it off here. To add to this awesome stack of boxes.

I couldn't help but get a little emotional when I saw this. (There were even more boxes lined up against the other wall.) And this is only one church of many across the country collecting the boxes. I can only imagine the happiness and joy they will bring when they get to their destination. I love finding pockets of goodness in this crazy mixed up world of ours. It's so important to me to teach my children to give and help others and this was a great opportunity to do just that. Anna really loved it and I hope we are able to do it every year.