Holiday Ready
We stepped it up this holiday season and decided to add a little holiday cheer to the front of the house. I trotted on over to Big Lots 4 days before Christmas and snagged a reindeer and some blue outdoor lights. We don't have much going on in the front yard, so these two additions were just enough to make the house look festive.
The kids were fascinated by the lights. So I had to snap some pics of them in the "Christmas Glow"
We always have a good time decorating the tree. I did notice this year that we were a couple of ornaments short. I know its because a few of them fell prey to the munchkin butter fingers! As soon as they go on sale after Christmas, I'll scoop some new plastic ones up.
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| What do you mean Christmas is a week away? |
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| Daddy having a good time! |
Spreading Cheer
We wanted to spread some holiday cheer, so for the classroom teachers, I made reindeer soda bottles. Each bottle was the favorite soft drink that the teacher had specified. I think the kids liked the bottles more than the teachers, but its the thought that counts right?!?!
We also gave each classroom a book as a holiday present. Khyri's class had a hermit crab, so they got a book about Hermits by Eric Carle. For Kielle's class I got them a copy of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
A Tradition Begins
Last year when Barnes and Noble put their Elf on A Shelf holiday items on sale, I grabbed a few so that we can start a new tradition. A little background... the "legend" is that an elf comes the day after Thanksgiving and stays with the children through Christmas Eve. The elf watches the kids for good behavior so that Santa will know whether or not to deliver presents. Now the kids are not supposed to touch the elf, or the elf will lose it's magic - my kiddos straight ignored that part :-) They had their elves on firetrucks, sliding down the banister, in their beds at night, everything...
Khyri named his elf first, Ice. When Kielle woke up from her nap I asked her what's the name of her elf. She said, "Ice." I said "No, Khyri has already chosen that name. You have to pick something else." As plain as day this little girl looked me in my eye and said. "ok... Icecream." I laughed sooooooo hard. These two truly are attached at the hip. Really!??! Ice and Icecream!?!? Ok! To differentiate between the two, I added a white puff to Icecream and a skirt.
Once the elves were named, it was time to start hiding them around the house. Oh yes, I forgot that part. Part of the fun is that the elves move to different locations in the house while the children are asleep. When they wake up they have to find the elf. We did things a little differently since the kiddos are in school. Ice and Icecream didn't change locations until the kiddos were at school. So when they got home they had to search for the elves. Here are some snap shots:
I don't think the kids' behavior was swayed at all by the presence of Ice and Icecream, but its a nice new tradition to add to the arsenal :-)
As always, we hung up our holiday cards on the wall and counted them each day together. We also talked about the different colors of the cards, which cards were horizontal and vertical, the different designs on the cards, etc. Every moment is a teaching moment :-)
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| Kielle is "writing" her Christmas list |
