Saint Nick's Day

We now know that we are in for a pretty epic Christmas this year. Nothing is more fun than celebrating with an excited little kid, and "excited" is a drastic understatement when it comes to describing Mary Grace. With every Christmas light that we pass while driving, she conjures up a loud "Oh my gosh!" or "That is so beautiful!" She is really in the spirit. She seems to understand that Santa Claus rides around with flying reindeer, lands on your roof and comes down the chimney, but I am not sure see understands the present aspect yet. She may be getting it confused with Halloween because when we asked her what she wanted Santa to bring her this year, she replied, "Lots of treats. Purple treats, yellow treats and blue treats."

Since last weekend was Saint Nick's Day, we decided to kick off the season by getting into the Christmas spirit and bringing home the Christmas tree. On Saturday, Molly attended a performance of The Nutcracker with Charlotte and Janie, while Mary Grace and I bundled up to meet them downtown for the annual Winston-Salem Christmas Parade that took place after the show. Mary Grace was a little confused as to why Santa Claus was riding on a fire truck as opposed to a flying sleigh, but she didn't let it bother her too much.

Per tradition, we drove up to Roaring Gap on Sunday to fell our own tree again this year. They had received about three or four inches of snow the day before, so it really felt like a winter wonderland. Mary Grace was much more excited this year, and was very active in helping us choose the perfect tree to take home and decorate.

Once we got home and set up the tree, we took a nice family run around the neighborhood to check out everyone's Christmas lights. While we were out, Saint Nick paid a visit to our house to fill our stockings with little gifts. This whet our appetite for Christmas morning, and left us with a very ebullient little girl who didn't want to go to bed. It was the perfect ending to a festive weekend.


A lazy Saturday morning.


Watching the little people ice skate around the rink.


Mommy helping Mary Grace with her new Christmas bow.


Feeling festive for the Christmas parade.


Showing off Mommy's new wreath.


Cows and donkeys on the way to get our tree.


Christmas trees galore.


Finding the right tree.


Playing in the snow.


Staying warm with Mommy.


Sizing the tree.


Securing it to the car.


Driving back home to decorate the tree.


Stringing the lights.


Mary Grace helping with the decorations.


Our front door.


Molly's homemade Advent wreath.


All smiles.


Saint Nick paid us a visit!


Checking out the stockings.


Mary Grace loves her new book.


A picture in front of the tree before the ornaments are added.


Playing with her new snow globe.