Cookie Returns & Other Christmas Fun

December is here, and as busy as things tend to be this time of year, I'm sure the month will fly by!  Friday night I made a last-minute Christmas countdown for the kids.  I used the paper table runner from Thanksgiving to make 25 mittens, wrote a different activity inside each one and hung them from a string on the stairs.  I borrowed several ideas from Pinterest:

--Cut down and decorate Christmas tree

--Have eggnog and play a game

--Secret Santa delivery

--Read Gingerbread book and craft

--"elf yourself" craft

--Make indoor S'mores

--Make paper snowflakes

--Look at (my) old Christmas pictures (didn't get this one done--too busy in Flippin that weekend)

--Act out nativity story (R remembered so many details for this, loved Lex riding the "donkey" (rocking horse) into Bethlehem and C being Gabriel

--Make ornaments

--Christmas movie

--Make Christmas cookies

--Make neighbor treat bags

--Deliver neighbor gifts

--Make cards for teachers

--Host CG party/help decorate

--Crazy hair night

--Christmas painting "class" (canvases)

--Look at 1st Christmas pics ('04, '07, '09)

--Read Polar Express, make hot chocolate

--Attend Christmas Eve service at church

--Read Christmas story from Luke 2, make big breakfast!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The kids have been anxiously awaiting the return of Cookie the Elf.  They expected him to be back on December 1st, and sure enough he was here on Saturday morning.  They were up bright and early (way too early for a Saturday) searching for him.  He was hiding in the playroom Christmas tree, near the top.  He blended in with all the other ornaments. 

Cookie brought a gift to welcome the holiday season--it was a 400 piece Christmas cookie puzzle!  The kids were excited to find it under the tree--love their excitement!  

Saturday morning we all attended the cafe volunteers' drop-in brunch at Jeannie & Barry's house.  It was so nice--they had so much great food, and everything was decorated so pretty.  We really enjoyed it.

The kids told Mrs. Jeannie all about the elf and the puzzle and the Christmas tree farm.  Jeannie is the cafe coordinator and is such a sweet person and definitely has a gift for hospitality.

They had iced snowflake sugar cookies for everyone in a red wagon by the front door.  Barry handed them out as we were leaving.  He told me that the red wagon belonged to his father--I thought it was such a cute display.

After leaving the brunch, we went straight to the tree farm to cut down the tree we'd tagged a couple of weeks ago.  At 70 degrees, it wasn't exactly bundle up/drink hot chocolate weather.  That's Arkansas though.  Rhett wanted a turn holding the saw in the group picture, then of course Crosby wanted a turn holding it too.  :)

A new sign had been added since our visit a few weeks ago.  Maybe I wasn't the only one to have an issue with the cute little donkey?  

I was much more careful this time!  :)

While Crosby took a nap, they worked on the new puzzle.

Then we decorated the tree.  It's always a little bit stressful.  Ornaments get broken.  Patience gets tested.  But overall, I think they enjoyed getting to help, and I think we only broke two things this year. (The broom Rhett is holding came in handy.)

They opened the first mitten, which said to cut down and decorate the tree--check!

I need a tree skirt...and some gifts to put under the tree!

And a quick photo before church this morning:

HAPPY DECEMBER, EVERYONE!