Decorating the Tree

I was excited about this night for quite some time. I wanted our tree up as soon as possible after Thanksgiving so that we can enjoy it as long as possible before Christmas is over and baby boy arrives.  

Growing up in my family, setting up the Christmas tree was a wonderful tradition. And even though sometimes it was stressful (mainly for my dad because those stinking lights always got tangled, haha), I absolutely loved it. 

So it's a tradition that I really want to carry on for our kids.  Especially now that our new tree is pre-lit and snaps together in three easy pieces. :)

Another tradition I really want to carry on from my childhood is getting a new ornament for our kids each year. 

Last year, Molly got a lion. This year, I bought her a penguin from this etsy shop. I loved how when she first opened it, she thought it was an owl. :)

Daddy teaching her how to hang an ornament on the tree:

This right here was my absolute favorite part of the night. I had  taken all of our ornaments out and put them on the couch. When Molly realized what was going on, she would run to the couch, get an ornament, and go back to the tree. Even though she couldn't quite get the hang of the hook or string, she would point to where she wanted it and we helped her hang it on the tree. 

It's just so difficult to express how much joy this brought me. Watching her learn about a Christmas tree and seeing how much she loved the ornaments (we have a pig, birds, a mouse, mittens, and several other things she knows and recognizes) just made my heart so full. 

We ended the night with cookies. Of course. 

And yeah...the hot cocoa never got made. But oh well. 

We still made some wonderful memories. :)

15 days until Christmas!! :o)

**Edited for correction. :)