Let Everyday be Christmas! 2009

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976


As we all said the past few weeks.... I WISH IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY!

This year we made our own wrapping paper! It turned out so cute!
i just bought brown parcel paper, and the kinders used their finger prints to make snowmen with white paint. i drew on their black hats, we used Christmas stamps, and markers. We still have enough for next year!
we did SO many crafts this holiday season. I tried to do one everday.. but it was more like.. 5 a day take a break, 3 a day... etc.. =) I mean, once you get all the craft supplies on the table you may as well go all out right? =0)
I made cinnamon rolls from scratch! this was huge for me! i am learning to be a better baker, chef... and so far these were a hit. Phew!!

Papa and grandma K gave the kids christmas gifts and an advent calander for each day, they loved it! it was so thoughtful of them.

And who's heart wouldn't be touched from this? JT got this for me! isn't that so sweet for our school room tree? =) Wink!

Daddy was off work for 9 days! look at all the fun we had. We were snowed in for 3 days, it was probably the best 3 days we have had in a long time. Here, JT and daddy play checkers, buster the beagle snoozin, Jt shoveling the drive at 7am, baking cookies, playing "perfection game", fireplace time.. and Christmas movie night! The kids were each given a candy cane, and smashed it up with a hammer, and we mixed it into vanilla icecream for a yummy candy cane treat! yummm... Some of the christian children's movies we watched were

• Vegie Tales Saint Nicholas
• The Crippled Lamb
• Spunky's first Christmas
• The Very first Noel
• A wowiebazowie Christmas with Boz
  
  ( our kinders put on the nativty story for my parents as their gift to them, becuase they saw it on the Boz christmas. Daddy and I helped them, along with their uncles as sheep and wisemen, and with a complete surprise to the grandparents, it was the best present of the Eve.... The kinders sang "away in the manger" at the end of the play. Melt my little heart. If i could upload Video on this i would... but maybe some other day..

What's Christmas in Germany without a Christmas market? we had a very nice time there, even teh poocher got to go! And more people came up to us asking where we got his sweater. =) that's what i should sell ...=) poocher sweaters to german grammies.
If you look closely, that's the trash can...isn't that the cutest trash can you hve EVER seen? it's like they stole it from disneyworld or something.. and the little tree tables? everythign was so stinking cute and themed! There is JT waiting in line for Schneeballs ( snowballs) a german cookie shaped like a snowball, with all kinds of flavors. yum! that santa is a giant Lego santa.. very cool in JT's opinion!
There was so much more we did this year, and not enough time to write... we had christmas with my parents and brothers too, a great year for our family!


Merry Christmas!

&
Happy New Year