It’s been so much fun preparing for Christmas this year!
During one of the days leading up to Christmas, a group of parents and kids from our website “hudsonvalleyparents.com” gathered together for caroling at a local nursing home, and we had a blast walking around and singing along with the guitar one of the dads played. Afterwards, we had some friends over to decorate cookies and do more holiday songs. Quinn enjoyed playing tambourine!
A few days later while we were at the playground with buddy Cianan, we got a visit from Santa who arrived via firetruck and handed out candy canes! The kids were speechless – what an exciting surprise!
In early December, we made a “Star Ladder” with Declan to help with the countdown, where the angel descends one star on the ribbon every day. When the angel arrives “on Earth,” it means it’s Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, Declan was so excited he had his pajamas on at 5:00 p.m.! He changed his clothes to VOLUNTARILY attend the Christmas Eve service at church. (Since it was the second time we’d be attending church that day, we let him choose whether to watch “Frosty the Snowman” or come to church…we were more than surprised to get his answer!) During the service, the kids received “presents” to unwrap pieces of the nativity scene and bring up at the related scripture reading. Declan walked his angel and king to the front all by himself.
By the time we got home, he was ready for his “long winter’s nap,” put out a plate of chocolate chip cookies he made with a glass of milk, cut up some carrots for the reindeer, and eagerly anticipated the arrival of Santa Claus!
