What's Buzzing with the Brasfields: Deck the Halls

We started "decking our halls" for Christmas early again this year. This is the 3rd year we've done so before Thanksgiving and it is wonderful to have it done so we can focus on enjoying the season during December.

We started pulling things down from the attic the weekend before Thanksgiving while Pop Pop was still here. Our pre-lit tree, of course, had more non-working lights this year and they spent way too much time trying to fix them. Finally, Russ removed (1) of the non-working sections and we just added new lights and in the other section, we just put a strand of working lights over top of the non-working ones. I am DONE with pre-lit trees! Our next one will most definitely NOT have lights!

Russ was definitely annoyed at this point...especially when I took his picture.

I took Monday off and decorated the rest of the house. Russ picked up the kids so I could finish up and he told them on the way home that the house would be decorated for Christmas. They were so excited to see everything. Tyler kept saying how beautiful it all was which made it all worth it!

Caroline playing with the Little People nativity.

We did not get around to finishing up the tree until this week. We really wanted Tyler and Caroline to help. They ate a snack while we got most of the garland on and then they helped us hang ornaments. Tyler was surprisingly really into it and hung tons...all across the bottom, of course. He didn't want to stop when it was time to take a bath. Caroline loved holding all the ornaments (especially my collection of Wizard of Oz ones), but she didn't want to let them go to put them on the tree.

Eating a snack while garland goes up!

They had to get in on the garland-hanging action.

Going around to the other side of the tree when I told him he had to
spread them around. I just love all the ornaments hung on the bottom! :)

This Christmas is going to be really special...Tyler really gets it for the first time and is pumped! He is enamored by all the outdoor Christmas lights...he thinks the colored lights are really "beautiful". Our Elf Grizwald came this week and Tyler is excited and not scared of him this year. The "be good because Griswald is watching" really seems to work, too. We are only 2 days in, but he loves looking for him in the morning. We've been busy watching Christmas movies and have already seen "The Polar Express" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" twice. I am so excited for all the fun things we have planned this month. He is going to love it! And Caroline, too...she notices everything and points and says "what's 'at" constantly! This magical time when the kids are little is really so short that we plan to soak up every minute!