we'll be home for Christmas

We've been in our new house just shy of two weeks now. Almost immediately this house felt like HOME.
Last weekend, rather than attack the pile of boxes in the basement that need sorting and organizing, we brought home a full size fraser fir to decorate, hung Jo and CoCo's stockings on the mantle and strung lights all around.
This week the girls and I got started with some Christmas baking - rolling out, cutting and decorating sugar cookies with GG. Christmas music in all its forms(instrumental/oldies/pop) is a constant soundtrack these days. CoCo loves singing (shouting) her favorite songs over and over and over - Rudolph, Frosty, Jingle Bells. Everytime we hear Feliz Navidad, Jo exclaims, "This is Uncle Adam's favorite!"

My, oh my, are we feeling MERRY.

Jo is so very inquisitive these days. She asks endless questions all day long:
"Is Baby Jesus still growing in Mother Mary's tummy?"
"Can I send Santa a Christmas card?"
"What is that grandma (elderly woman) doing at the post office?"
"Who is singing this song?" (She NEEDS to know the artist of every song.)

It has taken us a few years to figure this out, but we've sent our regrets to the hosts of Christmas Day parties near and far that we will not attend.
What we are most looking forward to this Christmas is a quiet, simple Christmas morn at our very own home. Just the four of us. Pancakes may make a guest appearance.