Countdown to Christmas 2025

Our family's festive season usually starts the day after Remembrance Day, when all of us agree that we "need a little Christmas."

This year was no different :). 

November 12, the kids set up their traditional toy scenes, which meant lots of laughter, singing and nostalgic fun.

 

We started watching Christmas movies (Alaina made a schedule that started with Netflix romances and ended with favorites like White Christmas, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Home Alone and Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas later in December), listening to Christmas music, and putting up decorations.

By this point, we'd already started to see Christmas trees and decorations everywhere, from the mall to the orthodontist (where, incidentally, Alaina got her braces off in time for the holidays!).

 

We visited the cemetery and took a wreath, which we hoped would last throughout the last half of November and all of December, despite windstorms, flooding, ice and snow.

(This year we had a big flood and lots of wind, but no ice or snow yet.)

Next, we had Christmas concerts. Eric played a "Feliz Navidad" duet with his teacher at two piano concerts, and danced in a Guatemalan Christmas play at his school's concert. 

November 29, we picked out our Christmas tree! It wasn't easy to all agree, but we finally settled on a really beautiful one that fit perfectly in our living room.

 

Our church's Christmas party was the same day ... where Eric participated in the Primary's nativity for the last time (since he'll be 12 in less than a couple of weeks!). He played a very tall and reluctant Joseph :)

December also means final exams at the university. Ben had one, Janae had three, and I invigilated dozens more. The first weekend of exams was rescheduled due to our area's flooding, so both Janae and I had to wait an extra week to start winter break (December 20--really cutting it close!). Luckily Ben's only final was online and proceeded as planned :).

This year we made our own gingerbread and followed some very easy instructions to make A-frame houses. These were so much fun and definitely smelled like Christmas!

 

Once school got out, everything got even more exciting. Janae and Alaina practiced piano/cello duets of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which they even performed for us on Christmas Day. 

Eric and Alaina also played some impromptu trombone/saxophone duets of all the beginner band songs :). 

 

On December 22 our family went to see a big Christmas lights display that Jason had been telling us about, about an hour away. Alaina had smuggled her bunny (Rosie) into the truck, not knowing we'd be getting out to walk around the display ... luckily she had a carrier and a blanket, because it was a little chilly!

Then somehow it was Christmas Eve. The kids exchanged their sibling gifts, Jason made his annual bacon and eggs for dinner, and I made pulla and hot chocolate. We drove around to look at lights, then came home to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol and wait for Santa.

And he came!

The kids had fun opening presents ...

 

Rosie nibbled on some wrapping paper, and Pumpkin hid behind Eric's new volleyball rebounder.

Then it was turkey dinner, games, puzzles, crafts, and watching "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" with Grandma.

I'm so grateful for all the days leading up to Christmas, and for this happy day to celebrate! 

Middle School Update

You might be wondering how Eric is adjusting to middle school, especially since he went in not really knowing anyone.

Well, the first week he tried out for the school play (Into the Woods) and was one of only two Grade 6 students to be cast. He's playing Cinderella's father--not a big role, but big enough for one of the youngest kids in the school.

The first month, he took up the baritone saxophone--one of the biggest instruments in his school band--and discovered that he loves it! 

Band has been his favorite class this term, and the Grade 6s played their first concert last week. So fun to hear the beginner band again with all the squeaks!

Early in October, Eric ran for student council with a new friend ... and won. He and his friend are the Grade 6 reps, meeting every week with the student body presidency and other grade reps to plan school events.

Then, at the end of October Eric received an award for his kindness to others.

He has also become an "adopted little brother" to all of Alaina's friends :). 

Not bad for the first few weeks!

He still really misses all his elementary school friends, but he's definitely getting used to being a middle schooler.

I Really Do Like Halloweeen

I always think I don't like Halloween. I'll get our fall decorations out at the beginning of October, but I leave the spider webs, ghosts, and monsters in the bin until October 30 at the earliest. I'll put them up for one or two days, then take them down November 1. 

 

Leading up to Halloween this year, Janae took Eric and Alaina to a pumpkin patch where her friend was working,

 

and we also found a big, creepy spider hiding under our pumpkins outside.

Both Alaina and Janae were having friends over on Halloween night, and driving home after dropping off Alaina and Eric for school, I started to get into the Halloween spirit. I came home and put up some decorations, then went to the store multiple times to get the ingredients for our traditional mummy hotdogs, skeleton veggie platter and ghost pie.

 

 

  

This year, Eric dressed up as the Lorax--I heard that he REALLY got into character, both at school and at people's doors, singing "Let it Grow" and speaking for the trees. Alaina was Princess Buttercup from The Princess Bride in a beautiful costume made by Janae.

 

Janae and her friends dressed up like the Saja Boys from K-Pop Demon Hunters and spent the evening learning the dance for "Soda Pop."

 

Jason fired up the old dinosaur costume we got a few years ago for Eric's Jurassic World birthday party, and that was a big hit with the neighborhood children when he took Alaina and Eric out trick or treating with Alaina's friends. 

And Pumpkin and Rosie were two little pigs--just for a few minutes, though! Pumpkin also tried to impersonate a bunny in Rosie's cage for a while :)

 

I love seeing all the trick or treaters at the door, and even though it was pouring rain this year, we had lots of kids come out. Eric and Alaina came home completely drenched--Eric's pillow case of candy was soaked through, and all the paper Smarties boxes were dissolving.

Alaina sorted out her candies into perfect groups....

and Eric just kind of gave up (he had gone out trick or treating for at least another hour with Jason after the others were done).

By the end of the evening, I could honestly say that I'd enjoyed Halloween very much. But I still took down all the decorations before anyone got up the next morning :)