Tag Archives: Christmas

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

By

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

By
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

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Nostalgic Moments Singing and Dancing to the Jackson Five Christmas Album

By

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Nostalgic Moments Singing and Dancing to the Jackson Five Christmas Album.

“Can we hear Santa Claus is Coming to Town again, Mommy?!” Upon putting it on, my three year quickly corrected me, “Not that one, Mommy! The one with Jackson 5, please!”

I remember decorating the Christmas tree with my mother, sister and brother as a little girl singing along with the Jackson 5 and squabbling with me sister over who would sing Michael Jackson’s part. We’d use wrapping paper rolls as our microphones and come up with our own dance moves. Never did we tire of listening to the album that was originally released well over a fifteen years prior, actually when my mom was barely a teenager in 1970.

Now, instead of requesting Daniel Tiger as the album of choice for our breakfast mood music like my daughter’s been doing for the past half year, she’s been asking for the Jackson Five for the past couple of weeks. She’s even asked for it to be played in place of her bath and bed time routine Beethoven music. While in the car, The Temptations version of “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” came on, and with an inquisitive look, Quinn asked, “Who is this? Why are they singing The Jackson 5’s song?” I explained to her that there are many different versions of Christmas songs, and without hesitation she informed me, “I like the Jackson 5, mommy. They sing it much better!” I just giggled to myself, and said, “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”

It warms my heart that my daughter and I are bonding over this album as I once did with my mother and siblings. I can still close my eyes and reminisce about the fun times with had with it playing in the background as though it was yesterday. I hope as time goes on that Quinn will have fond memories of the moments we’ve shared together as a family while listening to the Jackson 5 Christmas allbum.

 

All the best,

Tanya

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Being Mesmerized by Christmas Lights

By

 

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Being Mesmerized by Christmas Lights.

“Is it dark enough to see the lights, Mommy? Can we go outside to see them now? Is Santa in the window too?” My little girl excitedly inquired. Looking at the twinkling Christmas lights is a simple activity, yet it’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing because it brings me joy and puts a smile on my face. Quinn loves looking at the lights too and wanted to go outside with me with no coat (I convinced her to put one on) just to see the light decorations on our house.

This year, we added Santa and Mrs. Claus in the downstairs windows, the nostalgic leg lap from “Christmas Story” on our front porch, a snowman and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in the front yard and moved the reindeer and sleigh with gifts that light up to the side yard. Another feature that’s not exactly lights is a digital decoration where Santa is busy placing presents, going into his red sack or eating cookies in our the second floor window using the special projector by the company AtmosFX. It is so realistic that my three year old along with some guests at our annual holiday party really thought Santa was upstairs in our room.

While there will be a little bump in our electric bill, having those beautiful Christmas lights twinkle and having Santa greet us in the window makes it feel a lot like Christmas.

Here’s a little clip of us looking at Santa in the window.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Little Girl Gave to Me…Fun Decorating Our Christmas Tree

By
Turning Off The Light to Check Out Our Tree
Proud of Our New Tree Decorations
Our Rainbow Tree

On the second day of Christmas, my little girl gave to me, fun decorating our Christmas tree.

“Next year, let’s do a fun tree, Mommy!” my little girl suggested back in 2015. For the past few years, even before Quinn was born, our tree could be classified as sophisticated, so when Quinn asked about a fun tree, it was right on time because I was eager to break up the monotony of the same decorations year after year. Shortly after Christmas last year, I started googling “fun Christmas trees,” but the types were vast. So I thought, why not ask my daughter what she thought would be a fun tree, and she immediately said, “How about a rainbow tree just like my playroom!?”

I was instantly on board, told my husband, and we were both on the hunt for after Christmas discounts on ornaments since quite a few would be required, especially with the tree in previous years just having blue, silver and gold ornaments. Then, in September, I saw a commercial for a Christmas tree light called “Tree Dazzler.” I did a little research and found that it was a knockoff of the original “Geek My Tree,” from Shark Tank which comes with an app, unlike the Tree Dazzler, and far more color sequences to set the lights to do just about whatever you want. Though much pricier than the “Tree Dazzler,” it goes perfectly with our rainbow theme, and I was able to set the lights to be in accordance with the color order of the ornaments.

Not only was it fun decorating our tree together, it was a wonderful way to reinforce sorting, color recognition and the order of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. The decorations are certainly more fun and playful now, just like my little three year old wanted. Quinn is very happy with the new tree decorations, and so am I.

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas: My Little Girl Gave to Me…Fun Picking Out Our Tree

By

On the first day of Christmas, my little girl gave to me, fun picking out our Christmas tree. Selecting a Christmas tree on Black Friday has been a tradition my husband and I started since we had my daughter, and now that she’s three and a half, she really looks forward to that special outing. Quinn loves having the responsibility of choosing our tree and takes it very seriously. This year she insisted, “Mommy, it has to be very tall and fluffy!” Within less than five minutes, she found the perfect tree. “It’s taller than Daddy!” she exclaimed. We asked if she wanted to look at others, and with absolute certainty she said, “No, this is the one!” For the past few years, our tree’s have been named Greeny, Big Green Jr. and  BG3. This year, Quinn came up with the name Bert.

Once we got “Bert” home, she wanted to help her daddy bring him into his new home and set him up. It’s so nice to see her face light up, and I’m happy to share this tradition with her.

All the best,

Tanya

Christmas in July with My Little Girl!

By

When I was a little girl, I loved Christmas, not just because I received presents, but there is just something so magical and joyous about this time of the year. My three year old is no different. Though it is now July, she will still sing the Christmas version of the Sesame Street Parade and still makes references about Santa. So when we went to have a Day Out With Thomas Last weekend, I figured it would be a great idea to stop off to the National Christmas Center, which was not too far away in Paradise, PA, before going home. At first, my husband joked that the place was closed because there was only one car in the large parking lot, but I assured him that I double checked the hours online.

Upon walking through the entry door, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. There were decorations, trees and Santa. It was set up like a Christmas Museum, and there was a $12 fee for touring the facility. I was glad that the parking lot was empty because we were able to take our time without the bombardment of several people. The Christmas displays were from Nativity scenes around the world, the evolution of Santa Claus around the world and even Christmas through the eyes of children from different decades and countries among other displays.

Quinn enjoyed the exhibits, but something I did not think about, however, was that while there were many cardboard cutouts of Santa, decorative figures and even lifelike mannequins of Santa, Santa, in human form, was not there. This did not sit well with my daughter who kept asking, “Where’s Santa? When are we going to see Santa?” I had tot explain to her a few times that he was in the North Pole working, which she eventually accepted.

I would recommend this place to anyone who loves Christmas and has children who love Christmas. Just make sure the kids know that the “real” Santa will not be there. It was a lovely family experience and brought back some great childhood memories for me too.

All the best,

Tanya

On the “Actual” Day of Christmas My Toddler Gave to Me…Christmas Fun with My Little One

By
2015-12-25 07.28.02

Quinn Enjoying Her Christmas Present: Lambie from Doc McStuffins

On the “actual” day of Christmas, my toddler gave to me joy selecting a Christmas tree,  memorable moments decorating, festive and fun goofing around, partying all night, excitement while visiting Santa Claus, counting down the days, happiness at Sesame Place, bonding time making our own tree, befriending Santa’s elf on the shelf, creating a chocolate cookie candy train, receiving messages from the North Pole, baking cookies for Santa Claus and witnessing the happiness in my daughter’s eyes!

This Christmas day, my two and a half year old woke up at 6:37 am, which is around the time she usually wakes up, but today she knew it was Christmas and asked, “Did Santa come, Mommy?” I told her, “Let’s go see!” “Wow, look at all these presents, Mommy! How did Santa get them here? Where did he get them from? Did he go to the store?” My inquisitive little girl was full of questions. “May I open one please, Mommy?” With each gift she opened, the excitement continued to build, and when she finally got to the one gift she asked Santa for when she visited and took a picture with him, she was so happy. “Mommy, Santa got me Lambie! I asked for Lambie when I talked to Santa!”

What made me a proud mommy is that with each gift Quinn opened, she thanked her father and me and asked if she could thank Santa too. She also gave me the opportunity to be a big kid and play with some of her gifts with her. After a morning filled with fun and what felt like never-ending playtime, we both took a nap and then had a wonderful time with our relatives. Watching Quinn interact with her cousins was reminiscent of the fun times I had with my siblings and cousins.

Before she dozed off on the car ride home a little before 11:00 pm, my husband and I asked her how was her Christmas, and she said, “It was great! I got Lambie, saw family (she actually named everyone) and had a good day!” What a wonderful way to spend the Christmas holiday. Here’s to many years to come counting down the days of Christmas with my little girl!

Happy Holidays,

Tanya H. Franklin

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas My Toddler Gave to Me…Christmas Fun with My Little One

By
2015-12-24 12.25.44

Quinn is Ready to Bake Cookies for Santa

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my toddler gave to me joy selecting a Christmas tree,  memorable moments decorating, festive and fun goofing around, partying all night, excitement while visiting Santa Claus, counting down the days, happiness at Sesame Place, bonding time making our own tree, befriending Santa’s elf on the shelf, creating a chocolate cookie candy train, receiving messages from the North Pole and baking cookies for Santa Claus!

One of my favorite Christmas activities since I was a young child is baking Christmas cookies for Santa with my siblings and mother. Now, it feels wonderful to continue that tradition with my two and a half year old daughter. Even though I do like preparing the cookies from scratch, sometimes Quinn loses interest when we are baking, so to ensure that it was a fun and quick activity for her, we used the pre-made Pillsbury sugar cookies and a cookie pan with the shapes already cut out.

To make baking cookies for Santa memorable for my little girl and to establish our own Christmas Eve tradition, we used a special plate just for Santa that Quinn’s auntie purchased for her, and I gave her a little red apron that says, “Santa’s Little Helper” to make her feel special and like a real baker.

Quinn’s favorite part, which was mine too when I was younger, is putting sprinkles on the cookies and, of course, having a cookie or two to make sure they are perfect for Santa.

Happy holidays,

Tanya H. Franklin

2015-12-24 13.43.37

Quinn Making Sure Santa’s Cookies Are Tasty

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas My Toddler Gave to Me…Christmas Fun with My Little One

By
2015-12-23 16.44.36

Quinn with Her North Pole Message Machine

 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my toddler gave to me joy selecting a Christmas tree,  memorable moments decorating, festive and fun goofing around, partying all night, excitement while visiting Santa Claus, counting down the days, happiness at Sesame Place, bonding time making our own tree, befriending Santa’s elf on the shelf, creating a chocolate cookie candy train and receiving messages from the North Pole!

When I was younger, I was not only fascinated with Santa Claus but the North Pole as well. What I wouldn’t give to be granted a special trip to Santa’s Workshop in the North Pole. Though the likelihood of this happening is slim for me, especially as an adult, there is still a glimmer of hope for my daughter. While she is only two and a half and still learning about Christmas, Santa, where he lives and how he knows if she’s been naughty or nice, she does look forward to the communication she receives from her North Pole Message Machine.

Clementine, one of Santa’s head elves, Mrs. Claus, a few other characters and even Santa himself share little facts about what goes on in the North Pole from December 1st through December 25th. At this point, my eight year old niece, who has been spending some time with us for the past few days, does appreciate the North Pole messages a bit more than Quinn. But my daughter already has been able to make the distinction between the voice of one of the male elf’s and Santa. When I think she is not paying attention to the message, she perks up when Santa’s voice comes on and says, “That’s Santa talking from the North Pole! Hi, Santa!”  As Quinn gets older, I have a feeling that she will look forward to the messages more and more. I may be an adult, but I enjoy listening to them as they have added to the Christmas spirit and give us something special to look forward to after breakfast.

All the best,

Tanya