Holly Jolly Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas day and thoroughly enjoyed the whole season. Hope that your Christmas was merry and bright!

Christmas morning

Raiding the stocking

Stocking goodies and presents.

Time for the dogs' stocking

I think the dogs know there are goodies inside

Mel picked out a special toy for each dogs to put in their stocking.
Each one is laying with their toy.
Mel was so excited to give the dogs' their presents.

A sea turtle!

Doctor's kit

Play dough and Nerf guns

Santa brought Mel some tools.

Mel has always enjoyed working with tools

Emmy the red nosed dog. (she is so patient sometimes)

Merry Christmas!

Holly Jolly Santa Claus

This is the first year Mel has met Santa Claus. Pictures with Santa are fun but I never really did it as a kid and don't really feel like I missed anything so I just haven't done it. Just not a big deal to me.

In the previous blog I mentioned her seeing Santa and shying away from him. That was encounter #1. The next opportunity came at her playgroup pajama party. They laid out pillows and had a short movie for the kids to watch.

After that there was a craft and then Santa Claus arrived! Mel wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't even go near him. I only got this picture because I told her to sit on the sun and I would get her picture.

When Santa left he walked next door to the library. (This Santa is actually a library employee.) Mel watched him leave with her nose pressed to the glass. The next  day would be the library Christmas party with Santa. I was hoping that watching Santa go to the library and knowing we would see him there Mel might be more inclined to actually go near him.

Mel had a blast at the library party. The normal stories and songs but with elves and a dancing Christmas tree. Then came Santa. Mel had a friend there who wasn't too keen on Santa either. His mom and I tried to see if going together would make it okay but they still wouldn't do it. Santa was even handing out presents! Mel and her friend got with in a few feet when all of a sudden they dashed behind us. Mel actually ran behind me and shoved me forward. Oh that funny kid. She loved her little stocking though and the craft project they got to do.

Even more exciting was the cookie and balloon awaiting each kid as they left. Oh well I didn't get any pictures with Santa but Mel had fun and that is what is most important. (And just to be clear, the reason we didn't get pictures with Santa every year when I was a kid is the same reason I got no pictures this year. I wouldn't go near the guy! HAHAHA)

Holly Jolly Christmas Festival

Fort Gordon had a Christmas Festival this year. I really didn't know much about it or what to expect but I hear Christmas and I am there. There were quite a few vendors set up in a section selling different goods. In another area there were several big tents set up, each with a special purpose. 

First tent we visited had a Christmas craft. Each kid got a stocking and different stickers to decorate it. Mel loves stickers and had a blast with all of the shapes and characters to choose from.

 The second tent was probably every kids favorite one. There were hundreds of cookies and cupcakes and they were all free! They also had some very yummy hot chocolate and apple cider.

 Other tents included face painting, candy, free pizza, different crafts, and a special one surrounded by elves awaiting Santa Claus. There were different groups performing on a stage filling the air with Christmas music prior to beginning the tree lighting ceremony. At the end they had everyone sing Here Comes Santa Claus as the big man himself appeared. He walked by us on his way to his tent. Mel just cuddled in as close as she could to me. Pretty sure I won't get a picture of her with Santa this year. One of the coolest things was the snow. Being in GA it doesn't really snow but these bubbles sure do look like the real thing.

At the end of the festivities they lit a giant bonfire. I love bonfires and so did Mel. We had such a good time.

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree Cookie

This year we thought it would be fun to have Mel make a gingerbread house. We went to the store to have her pick out a kit (yeah just being lazy and doing a kit 😏) The store had a whole shelf full of different kinds of gingerbread houses. Looking at all of the options Mel grabbed a Christmas cookie tin. Leave it to Mel to look at all her options and pick something completely different.

Mel loves to help bake. and stir things together. She was excited to stir the cookie dough ingredients but loved putting all of the decorations on even more. I helped do the star, because Mel needs a star on top of her tree, and Meric helped outline the tree in green.

The cookie was very thick and with everything being store bought (not my usual route) we really didn't expect it to be very good. So we were surprised when it was actually really good but one BIG sugar rush! Mel especially loved her Christmas tree cookie and I think Mel picked a pretty good new Christmas tradition.

Holly Jolly Lights of the South

Lights of the South has become a holiday tradition ever since we moved to Augusta 3 years ago. We like to go on a week night right after Thanksgiving. It is a good time to avoid crowds and great weather the last couple of years.

The peacock is my favorite light display

This year we invited Mel's friend Maggie and her mom to come with us. We figured Mel would have a lot more fun with a friend to run around with her. We were not wrong.

First thing we did when we got there was the hay ride. There was no line so we were able to get right on. (Though this year there was a big screen playing Christmas cartoons right by the hayrides to help entertain people as they stand in line. I think the girls wouldn't have minded waiting a little just to watch the cartoons.)

Mel loved the ride. She oohed and aahed at all the lights and pointed out the different shapes and characters displayed in lights.

After the hay ride the girls ran around and played in the different play houses. There are a couple of big ones with slides, ladders and stairs. But the girls seemed to prefer the simple one that looked like a gingerbread house. They also liked the wooden train.

This year there was a walking trail that leads through the light displays. The trail is 1.5 miles. I love walking through all of the lights and just enjoying the night. The girls loved running and playing and stopping to look at all the lights.

The jumping dolphins was one of Mel's favorite displays. (It was really hard with the dark night and bright lights to get great pictures.) Lights of the South (as long as we live in GA) will always be a Christmas tradition.

Holly Jolly Christmas Crafts

We did a little Black Friday shopping this year. Our last stop was Home Depot. Mel was getting a little bored so I let her help me pick out poinsettias and look as Christmas stuff while Meric was looking at tools. Among the Christmas stuff Mel found some holiday puzzles. They were made of wood and came with paints to decorate them. She picked the gingerbread man and was so excited to bring it home.

After putting the puzzle together a few times (she LOVES puzzles) Mel was ready to paint. It was fun to watch her paint. She was so focused.

I was expecting her to make a mess of it and mix all the colors all over it but she didn't. Mel deliberately painted every part of the gingerbread man a different color. The head is yellow, arms red, legs white, buttons brown and vest green. Mel is so fun to watch and is always surprising me.

Mel and Meric have started doing daddy/daughter dates. Whenever they can they attend the Lowes and Home Depot kids workshops together. Usually they aren't held on the same weekend but December's Christmas workshops fell on the same Saturday. Since they were going to do 2 workshops and it is Christmas and I wanted pictures, I invited myself along on their date.

HD was first with a gingerbread man candy dish. Mel is getting really good at swinging a hammer. She loves tools and working on projects with her daddy. 

Lowes had a couple of Christmas ornaments for her to make. It was amazing to me how she never hit Meric while hammering. A fact that Meric pointed out to me when I tried to help and ended up hitting him with the hammer. 

Mel loves crafts. She loves painting and hammering and decorating. I have said it before and I will keep on saying it: This kid makes Christmas so fun and exciting!

Holly Jolly Christmas Tree

Mel was so excited to get a Christmas tree this year. It amazes me how well she remembers getting the tree last year. For weeks she would talk about running through the Christmas trees. She would say "I'm going to get a Christmas tree. Were going to cut it down. And put lights on it. And a star on top." Over and over again she would say this.

Like last year we headed down the road to Gay's Christmas tree farm. We walked through all the trees until we found the perfect one.

Mel supervised while Daddy cut down the tree. She loved helping push the cart around.

This year I decided to buy a fresh made wreath to hang on the door. I love real trees and wreaths.

Every year we get Mel a Christmas ornament. They had a few for sale in the little store there so I let Mel pick one out. She chose a cute little cardinal. When we got home, while getting things ready for the Christmas tree, Meric heard Mel playing in the living room. She was saying something about how the bird couldn't fly. He found her holding her ornament with one of the wings broken off. Nothing a little glue couldn't fix and somehow it made it even more fitting for Mel this year. What kid hasn't broken an ornament or two.

By the time we got the tree into the house and in the stand it was time for Mel to take a nap. While she was sleeping Meric and I put the lights on the tree and put the tree into place. We waited until Mel woke up to put the star on top. When she came down the stairs and saw the lights she was in awe but quickly pointed out that we needed the star on top. She was thrilled to help put it up.

 Mel loved pulling out all of the ornaments. We did have to remind her several times that they were to go on the tree and not toys. We managed to get the tree decorated with only one more ornament broken. (just a little piece, nothing major)

Mel loves looking at the tree, ornaments and lights. We put all of the lights on a plug strip so that Mel can turn her Christmas tree on and off. She is very good about not playing with everything too much. Only one or two ornaments "falled down" occasionally. Mel enjoys looking at all the decorations.

Mel handed me the camera and said "Take a picture of me with my tree"
She LOVES her Christmas tree... and pictures of herself.

Christmas is so much more magical through a child's eye. This is by far the earliest I have ever gotten a tree, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but it was hard waiting even that long. Mel was so excited and I hope she keeps that excitement for years to come.