Tag Archives: Christmas Fun

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Too Much Fun Decorating

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On the second day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…too much fun decorating and one great outing selecting our Christmas tree. Whether purchasing a real Christmas tree  or digging the artificial one out of the attic or basement, the hope is that it will be a fun time for all decorating the tree and that it will not be just one person doing all of the work.

Luckily, my four year old loves decorating and wanted to start putting ornaments on our tree as soon as it was erected in our dining room corner. We waited one day in the event that the tree expanded some after being tied up to our car and in the cold, and that Sunday after Thanksgiving we got to work.

Last year, Quinn wanted a rainbow tree and asked for the same this year. While she handled the lower colors: green, blue, purple and pink (I know pink is technically not in the rainbow, but Quinn loves the color), I handled the upper colors: red, orange and yellow. This was such a great activity because Quinn loves sorting the colors as she did last year. This year, she even asked if her doll’s could help. How could I refuse? “Sure, the more the merrier,” I told her.

After we finished decorating, she asked me, “Do you think Heavenly Brownie (That’s what she named our tree) likes the way we decorated him? Do you think he’s happy to be in our home?” I responded, “Absolutely!”

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Help Selecting Our Christmas Tree

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On the first day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…help selecting our Christmas tree. Since Quinn was one year’s old, we started the tradition of getting our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Now that she’s four year’s old, there is no containing her excitement, and just like her Mommy, she wanted the biggest, widest and tallest tree available. Good thing her daddy was there to reign us both in as we had our eyes set on a nine foot tree that would’ve surely scrape our ceiling.

As simple as this task can be, having it as a tradition makes it so much more meaningful, especially now that my little girl not only helps to pick out the tree but has taken over with the naming of our Christmas tree: a fun tradition my husband and I started for her first Christmas. We’ve had BG, short for Big Green, BGJ, short for Big Green junior and BG3, short for Big Green the third. This year, Quinn picked a very interesting name: Heavenly Brownie! When I asked her what made her come up with that name, she said, “I just like it!” Who knows what we’ll call our tree next year, but I’m definitely looking forward to the experience.

Here’s to fond memories with our 2017 Christmas tree: Heavenly Brownie!

All the best,

Tanya

 

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Fun Activities for Christmas Eve

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“So today is Christmas Eve?” my daughter inquired. “Yes, it is!” I responded. Christmas Eve can be such a busy and even stressful time, but I truly did enjoy the fun activities we did this year.

We started out by catching a 9:30 am showing of the movie “Sing,” which was a fun movie that my daughter and I both enjoyed. Later on in the afternoon, we baked cookies for Santa with Quinn sneaking a handful of sprinkles every so often. After dinner, my husband suggested that we drive through our neighborhood to take a look at some of the homes decked out in beautiful Christmas lights. One home really stood out from the rest, so much so that we parked our car and got out to take a look. The people were so kind and even offered a candy cane to my daughter and said that she can take a picture with the big teddy bear they had on display. I’m already thinking about how we can improve our own Christmas lights for next year as a result of seeing theirs.

Before bed, I presented Quinn with a snowflake that illuminates letting Santa know to stop by our house for her. She was eager to get to bed just to hang it in the window.

Now that she’s sleep, it’s time for my husband and I to get ready for Santa’s visit. Here’s to a great Christmas Eve.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Eagerly Counting Down Until It’s Christmas Day

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“Now, there’s only one day left until Christmas, Daddy!” I overheard my daughter saying. Puzzled, I came into her bedroom to see how Quinn believed there were one three days remaining when there was actually ten. She was using the Melissa & Doug Countdown Christmas Tree I purchased her last year and put the ornaments on the tree so that only one day was left. “I’m just joking, Daddy! I just put more ornaments on the tree so Christmas can come sooner,” she informed him.

If only it worked that way, I would have made Christmas come faster all the time when I was younger. The anticipation and excitement for Christmas to come, though overwhelming at times, was a feeling like no other. It was a magical time, and I am looking forward to my three year old experiencing that magic too.

Now, with Christmas Eve tomorrow, we’re all counting down and ready to not just enjoy exchanging gifts but each other’s company.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me..The Importance of Santa’s Naughty and Nice List

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On the Tenth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me..The Importance of Santa’s Naughty and Nice List.

“I’m going to be nice not naughty, Mommy! I want you, Daddy and Santa to be proud of me!” my daughter said . Since mid October, I’ve heard parents tell their children when they ask for toys, “If you’re good, maybe Santa will bring it on Christmas.” Some even threaten to give Santa a call if the child is misbehaving or refusing to listen (So far, I haven’t had to resort to this…fingers crossed).  Now that Christmas is just days away, children who look forward to receiving gifts from Santa know that being on the naughty list means no gifts or coal for them, so most are on their best behavior.

What’s interesting with my three year old this year is that she has consistently stated, “I don’t want any gifts from Santa! I just want to have fun with Kenzie (her cousin) and Nana!” Even still, for the most part she’s been on her best behavior and is excited about giving out presents. She informed me, “As long as you stay off the naughty list Mommy, you may have the gifts Santa’s going to bring me.”

Of course, I would be absolutely surprised if Quinn followed through with that statement and let me keep the gifts she received, but it pleases me so much that at a young age she is genuinely a sweet girl who thinks about others. I am very proud of her and am even more eager for Santa to bring her some gifts for being so nice.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Fun and Dancing with The Disney Express

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On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Fun and Dancing with The Disney Express.

 

“Which one should I press this time, Mommy: Mickey or Goofy?” my three year old asked with her pointer finger ready. “How about Goofy this time?” I suggested. Upon pressing the button near Goofy, the Christmas song came on, and all of the characters started moving in beat making it look like the train and cabooses were moving.

About a month ago, my daughter and I were in Hallmark getting our Christmas cards, and she pulled on my arm and motioned for me to follow her, “Look mommy! It’s Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto! They’re riding a train!” Quinn loves trains, and I was actually thinking about getting a new Christmas display, so it didn’t take much for her to convince me to make the purchase of the Disney Christmas Express.

While the characters can be purchased separately, I decided to get the entire set since they can be linked together to move in unison. Needless to say, my little girl was happy about that and has asked to press it as soon as she comes down stairs everyday since we set it up.  Each character plays three different instrumentals of Christmas songs, so with all five, there are fifteen.

It’s so upbeat that Quinn and I will often stop what we are doing once the music starts to dance around and have a little fun.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…A Lesson in Gingerbread House Decorating

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On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…A Lesson in Gingerbread House Decorating.

“Shopkins, Shopkins! Mommy, I need to look at the box first so that I have some decoration ideas for my gingerbread house,” my three year old informed me. Last year, we did a gingerbread train with her older cousin. While she enjoyed the activity, she really loved eating the candy more than using it to decorate.

This year, Quinn was excited when she saw that I got her a Shopkins gingerbread house and was eager to put it together as she studied the box to determine exactly how she wanted it to look. “I want the Shopkins gummies on the door and the different candies on the roof with more gummies. Does that sound like a good idea, Mommy?” she asked. “Of course, that sounds like a great idea, Quinn,” I reassured her.

Even though I helped Quinn with piping the pink frosting to put the foundation of the gingerbread house together,  I was impressed with how she took charge and did most of the decorating herself. Her finished product was just perfect, so perfect that she asked, “When can we eat some of the gingerbread house?!”

All the best,

Tanya

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…A Memorable Moment with Santa & Mrs. Claus

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2016-11-28-18-49-56On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…A Memorable Moment with Santa & Mrs. Claus.

Seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus can be an all day adventure, especially as Christmas day gets closer and closer. So when I received an invitation from my local mall for a special welcome event for Santa and Mrs. Claus on November 18th, I quickly RSVP’d for my daughter, mom and me. To avoid the massive crowds, I smartly took advantage of the Santa speed pass, and boy am I glad I did because though it was not even Thanksgiving, the line was wrapped all the way around the corner.

Though I was proud of myself for planning ahead, I did, however, have a misstep. I decided to not tell my three year old that we were going to see Santa and Mrs. Claus as a special surprise. So when we arrived and the Claus’ were within sight, Quinn’s initial excitement of being at the special event turned into nervousness and feeling overwhelmed. It took a little time to get her relaxed as we waited in line, but luckily she was fine by the time she and her best friend Grover got to sit and speak with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Next year, I’ll be sure to let her know ahead of time so that she’ll be prepped and less nervous, but I’m glad it was still a memorable moment for her and for me too.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Family Fun with Ugly Christmas Sweaters

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On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Family Fun with Ugly Christmas Sweaters

“Mommy, Daddy, Grover and I are wearing Christmas sweaters. Mine has a gingerbread man and says, ‘Oh snap,'” my little girl told her Nana. We often have some type of theme for our outfits at our annual holiday party, but wearing “ugly” Christmas sweaters just might be a new family tradition of ours. My light-up Christmas tree sweater came from Macy’s (On sale with a 20% off coupon), my husband shirt and daughter’s sweaters came from Target, and Grover’s sweater is actually is a wine bottle sweater cover I found at Burlington Coat Factory for just three dollars, and it fit him perfectly.

I really enjoy having family fun time with both my husband and three year old  (and Grover too) and know Quinn does too. Next time, I just need to find one that lights up for her just like her father’s and mine. Here’s to “ugly” Christmas sweaters and beautiful family moments!

All the best,

Tanya

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Excitement of Spending Time with Family

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Quinn and Nana
Quinn and her big cousin

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Excitement of Spending Time with Family

“Are you excited about Christmas?” I asked my little girl. “Yes!”she responded. When I asked her what she was most excited about, I anticipated her saying presents, Santa or something along those lines, but with a big smile on her face, she said, “Having fun and spending time with Nana and Kenzie (her big cousin). I love seeing them, Mommy!” She continued, “I can’t wait to spend all day with them and the rest of our family.”

Sometimes, we all get so busy with work, our immediate families and other obligations, so I truly look forward to getting together on Christmas, and it’s even more wonderful to know my three year old looks forward to it too. While we may not have a large family, we have a close-knit one, and it pleases me so much that at a young age Quinn appreciates her family and the importance of spending time with each other, especially around Christmas.

All the best,

Tanya