Freaking Out!

I must admit that last Friday the 17th of December I was freaking out a little.  We did not have up not one Christmas decoration.  Keith's hours at work have been horrendous this year and yet somehow we have still managed to make it feel like Christmas.  I don't know if it is because we have had a few chilly days (okay really cold ones for us), maybe it was the ride on The Polar Express, maybe it is all the peppermint cream I have started putting in my coffee, maybe it's the Frasier Fur that is standing in my office all decks out with ornaments and lights?  I really don't care why ... I am just digging the feeling.  I love Christmas!  I love seeing Christmas and all the magic it brings through the eyes of my sweet baby girl. 

So I lied a little... we did have a tree up by the 17th.  We put it together on the 12th...but it stood naked for a week before Ahliana and I were able to decorate it.  We finally got to that on the 18th while Keith was at work.  Honestly though the only reason the tree was up was due to the fact that 1) it is fake and 2) we had to get Derby out of the attic (Derby is our Elf on the Shelf that reports to Santa every night).  Of Course Derby was a must...he tells Santa if Ahliana is naughty/nice for the day...I know she is young but she gets it. 

We are lucky to have neighbors that have really lit it up this year, as they do every year.  Our favorite, of course, has to be Uncle B and Aunt Tammy's yard.  They have Monty the Mouse, Mumble and his Mom, Norma Jean and Dad, Memphis from Happy Feet, George from Pepper Pig, Gloria (the hippo) from Madagascar, Daisy and Duke the dog, and Eli the elephant.... I am sure that I am forgetting someone.  Every night when Ahli and I get home we go over and say hello to them all.  She loves them and talks about them all the way home.

We did visit Santa a couple of weeks ago.  There is something magical about the Santa at our mall.  I wish he would have been wearing a hat and didn't look so tired .. but who am I kidding I would probably look tired too if a million strange children sat in my lap all day .. some happy... some not so much.  I was hoping that this would not be the year that she found a fear of him.  Not my kiddo, she fears nothing...hahaha.  She willing sat on his lap and told him that she wants two lollipops for Christmas.  My sweet girl.

Christmas will be over soon and we will pack it all away for another year.  Then around August we will be anxiously waiting for it's arrival.  By October it will be flooding our stores.  Then December will be here and gone again before we all know it... I wish I could slow it down just a little some how.