The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hello blogosphere. You are still here. Though I've taken a hiatus for the last month, it appears the world has continued to turn without me. My blogging break was somewhat intentional - a bit of me trying to limit evening time on the computer to savor the sweetness of the season. Instead, I've kept my hands busy ruffling tree skirts, creating pom poms to adorn gifts, ordering and in some cases making said gifts, baking, cooking, baking some more... oh, and enjoying the beauty that is Christmastime. 

Between the hundreds of unedited, un-blogged photos and a Tax Man that not so subtlety reminds me when I drop the blogging ball, I thought it high time to check in. I have many a blog to catch up on {I feel so disconnected from not reading Blogger regularly} and many a blog to post. So why not start with the best... the most wonderful "sale" of the year. 

This is what I overheard the crazy peanut singing the other day. Clearly she saw one too many Macy's commercials {is that the one this jingle was in?}. I laughed so hard at her, she now entertains me singing it over and over. Ahh... the joys of being three.

Speaking of, Christmas was magical. Yes, it was full of frenzy and entirely too many gifts, but we also made every effort to remain mindful of the reason for the season.

She talked all afternoon about being Mary in the Christmas Eve pageant, but apparently that star crown on the angel costumes really spoke to her when we arrived at church. {Mary's costume of a mere blue scarf was clearly a bit too simple for her taste}.

She happily perched among all the other characters to help in telling the Christmas story. 

Earlier in the day, while I did the baking and preparing, she and her daddy took charge on the creation of the gingerbread house.

Strike that... she did a lot of candy eating while her daddy handled the house creation.

She was also rather amused to find Elfie taking a bubble bath on Christmas Eve morning... just a bit of relaxing before her final return to the North Pole until next year.

Peanut asked me today where I put the marshmallows Eflie was taking a bath in. Um... I threw them away after Elfie left?!?!

Happiness awaited us upon return from church service - in the form of Aunt Kassie arriving from Beantown {LE declared Christmas Eve "Aunt Kassie Day" the moment she opened her eyes on Saturday morning} and in FINALLY getting to open a present. Please make note - a well-prepared mother may wrap and display gifts around the tree by her crazy, self-imposed deadline of Dec. 15th, but a smarter mother knows that not putting any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve is at least 10 less days of the "no, you can't open that present yet even though you can read that it says it is for you" conversation.

Make that a two-gift opening for Christmas Eve - the new Christmas PJs were not quite as exciting for her {though I love them}, so we gave in and let her open the shiny green package that had arrived from Aunt Nancy and family earlier in the week.

And though said package was not the "American Doll" she predicted it was when it arrived {thank goodness Santa had one of those for her on his sleigh}, it was just as good - a large Hello Kitty backpack and Hello Kitty necklace, which immediately took its place around her neck.

A few quick photos under the Christmas tree...

She is actually sleeping with her eyes open watching TV here, not staring serenely into the heavens.

The dissemination of midnight snacks for Santa {and for his reindeer on the driveway}....

Please note the glimpse of the ruffle tree skirt there. You can also ALMOST see one of the aforementioned pom poms.

And we were all tucked in. Well, most of us were... Santa's elves were hard at work, but at least one peanut got a good night's sleep in preparation for the day ahead!