Tag Archives: Twelve Days of Christmas

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Smile to see her on Santa’s Nice List

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On the Fifth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Smile to see her on Santa’s Nice List.

We all know Santa’s making a list and checking it twice. He knows who’s naughty and nice. My seven year old may not be perfect, but she really is a sweet little girl who listens, never talks back, tries her best, does well in school, tends to our puppy Zack, helps out around the house (even though I occasionally have to give a gentle nudge) and was even willing to help me shovel snow when I told her she could just play.

Though most children are resilient, we mustn’t forget how tough this year must be for them with not seeing family and friends and possibly not doing traditional Christmas activities. I am so grateful for my daughter. She definitely deserves to be on Santa’s nice list!

All the best,

Tanya

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me, Some Snowy Fun with Our Puppy!

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On the Fourth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me, Some Snowy Fun with Our Puppy! There’s something magical about experiencing snow for the first time. Actually, there’s something magical about witnessing a kid or a cute puppy experience snow for the first time. Though it’s not quite winter, my family and I absolutely love the snow. So this is a wonderful early Christmas gift. Though there isn’t enough to build a snowman quite yet, my seven year old is ready, and I am too!

We’re expecting anywhere from six to ten inches through early tomorrow, which is perfect for sledding, some snow ball fight fun and building a snowman. While there’s so much doom and gloom with Covid restrictions, one of the benefits is that we don’t have anywhere to go except to go out and play in the snow! As the snow covered his little hat, he just looked around and took it the beautiful sight of the falling snow. We’re not quite sure how our six month old toy poodle will do with a lot of snow, but he seems to just be curious right now. We can’t wait to have some fun and see his adorable little paw prints in the snow.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Third Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me a Willingness to Accept and Love Me Just as I am!

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On the Third Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…a willingness to accept and love me…just as I am! I’ve always loved Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, especially his story, and we’ve had him as a Christmas decoration for years now. But this year we had some new editions: the land of misfit toys characters.

Interestingly, my daughter didn’t recall most of these characters, so we rewatched the movie together in hopes that she would like it just as much as I do. I revealed to my seven year old that I identified with Rudolph, Hermey and the Land of Misfits toys because there’s been times, especially when I was younger, that I didn’t feel like I belonged and that I was nothing more than a Misfit.

She came towards me and put her hand on my shoulder to give me a hug and then told me, “Mommy, you’re not a misfit. Even if you felt that way when you were younger, you never were a misfit because you’re perfect just the way you are!” Hearing my seven year old say that melted my heart. I felt like a little girl again yet this time, I felt a healing from her words rather than a brokenness from my own inner thoughts as a child.

Now, when I look at the Land of Misfits characters all lit up in our yard, I think of hope and the benefits of being different and special all thanks to my daughter.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me… Terrific Teamwork Decorating Our Christmas Tree

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On the Second Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me…terrific teamwork decorating our Christmas tree. After selecting and bringing home our Christmas tree, the excitement to decorate it with my daughter quickly builds. We stuck with our theme of pink, purple and blue this year since blue is my favorite color, and pink and purple are Quinn’s top two.

For the first time, we actually filmed hanging decorations from start to finish as part of her YouTube video, but as I reviewed and edited the footage, I found myself in awe at how we worked together as a team. We asked for advice on what should go where. I made sure to not hang certain ornaments I know she loves so that she’d have the opportunity to hang them herself. And we managed to get the tree decorated from top to bottom with the lights, ornaments, tulle and start within less than an hour.

We both love looking at our lovely tree all decorated for Christmas. It most certainly puts smiles on both of our faces.

All the best,

Tanya

On the First Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to me…fun times picking out our Christmas Tree!

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On the first day of Christmas, my daughter gave to me…fun times picking out our Christmas tree! With Covid restrictions in place, some of our usual Christmas traditions just won’t happen this year. Even though we’ll miss spending time with family, going to see Santa and having fun dining experiences, that won’t stop us from having extra special moments this Christmas season.

One of our favorite activities is selecting our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Usually, it’s just us and a handful of other families, but there were far more this year. It was nice to see how many people were already in the Christmas spirit. Quinn even decided to do a video for her YouTube channel on picking out our tree. Our tree isn’t as big as the previous years since we have our puppy Zack and weren’t sure how he would do with the tree, but we love it just the same. We both just love this time of year!

All the best,

Tanya

On Christmas Day, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Mesmerizing Smile and Eyes that lit up the room like a Christmas Tree!

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On Christmas Day, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Mesmerizing Smile and Eyes that lit up the room like a Christmas Tree!

My six year old is her mother’s daughter. By 4am she was up, ready and excited to come downstairs to see what she got for Christmas from Santa, her dad and me. She opened the gifts and excitedly said thanked us. Though she repeatedly said, “I’m so happy,” she didn’t have to say a word because the big smile on her face and the way her eyes lit up said it all. Though I’m on just about four hours sleep and a bit tired, her excitement will carry me throughout the rest of the day.

Merry Christmas To You and Your Family!

All the best,

Tanya

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Sweet Family Time in Hersheypark

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On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…Sweet Family Time in Hersheypark!

Yesterday, my daughter and I had a wonderful time at one of the sweetest places on earth: Hersheypark! Though we’ve been there before, this was our first time going during the Christmas season. My sister and niece joined us, and we all had a wonderful time. It wasn’t overly crowded, it was unseasonably warm, and we got to see Santa’s reindeer, including Rudolph, caught a Christmas show, enjoyed some treats, hot cocoa and the beautiful lights everywhere.

Based on the fun we had, this just might become a new tradition for us each year. Today, I’ll have to keep it short so that my daughter and I can have some Christmas Eve fun! 😉

All the best,

Tanya

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Memorable, Merry Mommy’s Girl Moment

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On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Memorable Mommy’s Girl Moment!

Since day one, my daughter’s been a daddy’s girl. Yes, she loves us both, but I admire the closeness and special bond she has with her father. Those two are inseparable. So when the opportunity presents itself for us to strengthen our mother/daughter bond, I’m all in!

Dressing alike or with similar color schemes is something we both enjoy, so my six year old was so excited when her Elf on the Shelf gifted us matching pajamas.

“Let’s both come out of our bedrooms at the same time with our pajamas on,” Quinn suggested. With a big smile on her face, she actually asked if we could take pictures together when I’m usually the one asking to take pictures . This truly was a memorable, merry mommy’s girl moment that I will cherish for years to come.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…The Gift of L.O.L’s and Surprises

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On the Seventh Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…The Gift of L.O.L’s and Surprises!

Just about every little girl and some little boys too, can tell you all about L.O.L surprises. They know all of their names, different characters and accessories, and what they can do, you name it! My daughter is no exception. She is an avid collector, and can’t get enough of them.

So when I came across an L.O.L. Surprise advent calendar, I had to get it for her. What made this kit so special was instead of it containing twelve pieces of candy, it has twelve different L.O.L. Surprises ranging from a hair brush to a scrunchie to a key chain, a necklace and even a slap bracelet. Each morning, Quinn excitedly opens up a new window and is delighted by the surprise.

This is such a great way to count down the days to Christmas. I wish there was one for charm bracelets or the Care Bear characters when I was younger. Can’t believe we have less than a week to go.

All the best,

Tanya

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Reminder that Writing & Receiving Letters is Still Meaningful

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On the Sixth Day of Christmas, My Daughter Gave to Me…A Reminder that Writing & Receiving Letters is Still Meaningful…

“Should I ask Santa how he’s doing first,” my daughter asked as she was poised with her pen in her hand ready to share her Christmas wishes. “Definitely! You don’t want to just say what you want. It’s good to ask Santa how he’s doing” I reassured her. When we went to Strasburg railroad for our ride with Santa, one of the activities was a meet and greet with Mrs. Claus and then writing a letter to Santa and mailing it to the North Pole.

My first grader knew the importance of including a greeting and printed nice and neat to make sure Santa oils read her letter with no problem. I was very impressed that she didn’t end the assistance of her father nor me to spell any words like she did last year, and she even decided, without me suggesting, that she would just include her top three items that she wants for Christmas.

I can vividly recall writing a letter to Santa, but I actually never received a letter back, but after Quinn dropped her sealed letter in the special red mailbox, she received back a letter in just a couple of weeks. When In came in the mail, she was so excited and could read it all by herself. What really impressed me was that the letter was personalized and contained her name.

I then thought to myself, writing a letter to Santa and then receiving one back to read is a wonderful way to encourage a child to read and write. Knowing that my six year old eagerly participated in this activity was a proud moment for me.

All the best,

Tanya