Tis the Season to Decorate

Zane is getting very excited for Christmas time and since this was the only free weekend we were going to have between now and Christmas we decided to put all the Christmas decorations up. Usually this is an all  day affair, done by myself, while listening to Christmas carols. I never minded it, but had no idea just how fun it could all be with a little help from a two year old. Everything is exciting and brand new when you are two which led to lots of shrieks of delight and random joyful yelling "It's Christmas Time Mamma!" Hooray!

We started our decorating where all Christmas decorating should start, the Nativity Scene.  Our Nativity scene is the Little People version, which I would highly recommend to all parents of little ones. Last year he didn't get it at all and just thought they were more people/animals to put in his barn. This year we talked about baby Jesus, being born in a barn with lots of animals, and that he was born on Christmas so that's why we are celebrating. It a pretty rough translation, but Zane got the gist of it. He could pick out the mommy and daddy right away, putting them beside the baby in the barn. He asked about the wise men, friends of the family bringing presents for the baby, was my explanation which made perfect sense to him, "It's a party mamma." He rounded up all his animals from his barn and they joined in the celebrations. We put this up yesterday afternoon and this morning when he got up and went and got the baby, showed him to us, and told us "It's baby Jesus." So at least some of it stuck!!! Here are the pics of him setting up the Nativity. If you are wondering why he doesn't have a shirt on it's because he has recently mastered taking his shirt off and often refuses to wear one, not a battle I'm choosing to fight at this time.

Putting the angel on top of the stable to watch over the baby.

 Zane and baby Jesus

 Here is the final product. We had lost Joseph briefly, but has since been found. 

Today I put up the rest of the upstairs decorations while the boys napped, then we headed outside to put up the lights. Last year we didn't do this, since Zane was too little to appreciate it and we were too lazy to make time to do it with an 18mn old. But this year I knew Zane would love not only looking at the lights, but also "helping" put them up. He gathered up his tools with daddy and was a big help. He manned the music on the iPad, shuffling songs a lot, with his favorite being Must Be Santa and I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. After only one quick run to ACE Zach got all the lights and garland up and added the addition of lights in our bushes, it's oh so festive now at our house.

Daddy and Zane with their hammers, ready to work!

 Zane was concerned that Santa wasn't saying cheese. His mustache does makes him look a little sad.

 Helping!

 While Daddy ran to get extension cords Zane collected acorns to hit with his hammer. 

 The final product!

This evening was the grand finale of the decorating, the Christmas tree!!! Zane was a wonderful helper, with very specific ideas of where things belonged, "this go up here," "this one go down here," "uhhh right here." He did stay on task pretty well, only digressing to throwing the Christmas ornaments around briefly. I think the ornaments will stay on the tree much better this year since Zane thoroughly enjoys putting them on the tree. We are starting to have quite the collection of our own ornaments, six years into marriage.

 We need to get some kisses for our Hershey Kiss little man.

 All done!

Here is the highlight of my decorating. With baby number two on the way our stocking holders are even once again. My OCD could hardly handle the two snow flakes and then one other hook that didn't match and they weren't even. Now all is right with the world and perfectly balanced! The simple things in life, right! Zach said he was going to use this in his argument for a fourth child. I don't think it will work, but three kids would end up with a highly uneven mantel.

I love watching Zane's face light up as we prepare for the Christmas season. It is one of those things that can become mundane, putting the same decorations up, year after year. That's the beauty of parenthood. You get to live everything for the first time, again, through your kids. Zane is ecstatic about Santa coming to his house, he loves looking at his stocking place on the mantel, and though he has no idea what it's really all about he is so excited for Christmas time. After toddling into our room this morning, the first thing he whispered was "it's Christmas time." Love it!