Hall Happenings: A Merry Little Christmas Recap

There are so many things about this Christmas that I wanted to remember: not to get stressed about to-do lists next year, start planning presents before the end of October (you would think that would be soon enough, but it wasn't), sewing takes a lot of time, etc. But as I think back on our little Christmas 2010, the stress is already growing fuzzy in my head, and I remember the fun stuff, the traditions, and see the excited faces of our three little ones. Christmas Day is fun, but the buildup beforehand is the best part, really.

Here are a few pictures of us building gingerbread houses (out of graham crackers). The kids were very intent on decorating, until they saw Clay stuffing his face with candy. "Dad," Luke said, "You're not supposed to eat the candy until the end." "Who made that rule?" Clay replied. It was all sugar rush after that, with Dad leading the way. Is that how it's supposed to go?

Hey! Everyone's eating but me!

That's better. (I took it away right after the picture. He's not old enough for that yet!)

We had lots of friends drop-off delicious goodies at our house, but I was starting to feel a little bit over-sugared. We opted to make Pumpkin Bread for friends and neighbors. It still includes sugar, but has good stuff in it too.

I was in charge of crafts and activities for Luke's Kindergarten class Holiday Party. We did Holiday Picture Bingo, a mitten craft, and built snowmen out of "snow dough" (sparkly playdoh). It was fun to be involved and help out with the party, and I can't believe what a big guy our little Luke is becoming. P.S. My arm was pretty tired of stirring after making 7 batches of snow dough!

A major accomplishment for me this year was finishing all of our stockings. We've only had three for a couple of years, even though there were four of us. This year we were a family of five, and I really wanted to get this done. They may seem simple enough, but I am severely sewing-challenged. I was very proud of myself!