All things Christmas

This Christmas season was the most magical of my life because of the pure and simple joy it brought to Britta. She was old enough this year to appreciate the lights, the smells, and the sounds of Christmas and every experience was as exciting as the next. She experienced her first real snowfall, her first Christmas pageant where she was the sweetest angel in an over-sized sheet I have ever seen. Not that I'm biased or anything. She surprised us by memorizing multiple Christmas carols and singing them at the top of her lungs all.day.long. But really, it was adorable. She would come down every morning and turn the Christmas tree lights on before doing anything else. She embraced Rudolph, Frosty and the Grinch, but told me "I not like Santa...but I still want toys." On Christmas Eve as we got ready to leave cookies for Santa, she said "Mom, I don't want to sit on his lap" with tears in her eyes. We then had to reassure her that he was going to come while she was sleeping and there would not be any more lap-sitting required this year. (Are there any kids born with a natural love for Santa? ) I think she even understood by the end of the season, the reason we celebrate Christmas. I do think she got a little confused about the Nativity concept when Chris, Elodie and I posed as Joseph, Jesus, and Mary for our ward nativity. Later when we asked her what Jesus' mother's name was, she replied "Erika." We'll get it next year.

I may be even more of a Christmas fanatic than I have been ever before. I can't wait to see both of my girls enjoy the magic next year and in years to come.