Tis' the Season

It has been a bit hard this year to really be festive for the holidays. We moved into our rental the week before Thanksgiving, we are living out of boxes and suitcases and all our Christmas decorations are in storage. I was going to pull out our small fake tree but with everything else going on, it's just not going to happen. We will be spending Christmas morning with Aunt Natalee anyway so we will be able to enjoy her Christmas atmosphere. I know one could argue that Christmas decorations, trees and lights are a waste of money but after not having mine out this year, I realized how much they really do help to set the tone and contribute to this special time of year.

We did make a point still to go see Santa with the boys. We had the best Santa experience this year. We found Santa at a non busy shopping center where he had an indoor and we only had to wait about 15 minutes. The boys both sat with Santa and told him what they wanted. Lincoln requested a nutcracker, some Minecraft guys and new bedding. Logan asked for...wait for it......trains! What a surprise. I wasn't going to buy the picture but the boys both had super cute smiles so j couldn't pass it up. I realize I don't have too many more years where they will want a picture with Santa.

The other fun tradition that is alive and well in our home is our Elf on the Shelf....Elfie came back for a visit. I decided our elf should step it up a notch this year and luckily he has. He has even found us in San Diego, Ojai and when the boys slept over at our neighbors he found them their too. Elfie has also been a bit more mischievous this year and the boys have loved waking up in the morning to find out what Elfie's been up to.  My favorite is when the boys talk to Elfie and tattle on each to Elfie so that he will tell Santa. Lincoln has also written Elfie a couple notes for him and Santa too. It's super cute. I definitely don't need one more thing in my plate but it sure seems to make the boys happy so it makes it worth it. 

 Grandma Tutu got the boys a Star Wars advent calendar and they look forward to opening the surprise each day. 

Yes, that's the real deal...the real Santa...and we know him.  Ricky is actually in business with him. He visits kids at home or parties and Ricky is the photographer that accompanies him. It's their first year in business together but something they could potentially do for the next few years. This is our friend Sadie Schreiber that is posing with Santa (uncle Lee Phillips) for Rick's business cards. 

 These are just a few of the funny things we've woken up to our Elf doing.