New and Old Traditions

This December was packed to the brim with lots of fun activities.  Some were ones that we do every year but we also added a few new ones.  It was such a fun month.  Our kids are at the perfect age to enjoy the magic of Christmas and we love seeing it through their eyes. 

At the very beginning of the month we got to ride on the Polar Express and take a trip to the North Pole. Brandon had done this as a child but it was a first for Alex and me.  It was such a cool experience and Alex was in heaven.  

We enjoyed hot chocolate and sang songs on the way.  Before we knew it we had arrived at the North Pole.  We even saw some reindeer running around.

Alex was a little shy during the trip but lit right up when Santa came aboard.

He got a magic Christmas bell from Santa and got to tell him what he wanted.

This was the perfect way to start off the Christmas season.

When we arrived home there was a package on our doorstep.

Buddy the Elf had come back from the North Pole.  He also brought us a new Christmas lego set to do as a family.  Alex was so excited to see him.  Buddy really did his job this year.  Alex was very good throughout the holiday season.  I think he was really worried Buddy would report something bad to Santa.  It was great!

Also, at the beginning of the month we checked out the Festival of Trees.  This is one of my favorite traditions and luckily Brandon and Alex will humor me.  I think Alex had a good time though because he made me take a picture of almost every tree.  

There were a ton of Star Wars themed trees this year.

Mia loves all things Mickey and definitely wanted to take him home with us.

The best part of the festival is getting some delicious scones.

Another new activity we did this year was to go to a live Nativity.   I had heard about these in the past but also heard that you often had to wait in long lines in the freezing cold.  I heard of the Alpine Nativity on Facebook.  You had to pay a dollar to get tickets and a reservation in advance but that kept you from having to wait in line.  Before we attended the Nativity we sat Alex down and explained where we were going and why.  I started off by saying that Christmas is not just about presents but about the birth of Christ.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  But he ended up loving the Nativity and I think it started our month off on the right foot.  

It was definitely a very cold night so we were glad not to have to wait in a long line.  Our reservations weren't until 8:00 pm though.  

They had lots of animals and a barn full of activities for the kids to try out.  You learned about the time period along the way.  It was very well done.

Clearly a hot chocolate on a cold night is way more exciting than a picture.

We read about a million Christmas books throughout the season and I think we only made it through about half of them.  

There is a house in our neighborhood who does a light show to music.  We stopped by one night and Mia and Alex were fascinated.  We ended up staying for about a half hour and they were both sad when we finally pulled away.

We did a ton of baking this month.  First up were these fun candy cane cookies.  They were fun to make!

Next we decorated a Gingerbread house.  Brandon is a perfectionist with these things and had a little bit of a hard time letting Alex get creative.  It turned out great though!

It has been so fun watching this girl grow up.  She has a ton of personality like her brother.  She is starting to talk more and more.  She learned a lot of new words during the Christmas season including, tree, Santa, and when asked what Santa says would say, ho ho.