7 days: Christmas art

When Christmas is just around the corner, the waiting takes many forms and filters into our every event...especially art.

8 days: Christmas felt

Years ago I made Calvin a simple felt/flannel board so that he could play librarian at home. Little did I know that four years later we'd still be creating sets. In fact, our smaller travel board is one of the best travel toys we have—the sets pack up easily in ziplock bags, they are quiet in the car, and they are replaceable if the worst happens. This year Calvin asked for a Christmas set, so I made him some pieces for St. Nicholas Day, including a house with stockings to hang by the chimney with care.

10 days: Holiday Nights

It has been a tradition for several years now to go with good friends to the Greenfield Village Holiday Nights event. Prior to this year we've carted the kids off to grandparents' houses for the night and enjoyed ourselves until long after bedtime, but this the year we finally bundled them up and took them with us. Like anything else that was once yours alone, seeing it through the younger set of eyes was like renewing the event. "Oh, wow!" was a popular exclamation for the evening, and the giggling almost never stopped. We were fortunate in the weather; although it had been kind of rainy all day, it didn't rain while we were outside at the event until the moment that we were walking back to the cars, and although we would have gladly taken snow, it was probably easier to enjoy it with the younger set while temperatures were in the mid-forties.

12 days: the countdown begins

While visions of sugar plums (or penguins, perhaps) dance in his head...

Christmas

Still Christmas Eve...

Christmas morning at home

His favorite gift? The five new Magic Tree House books. He was ecstatic.

Grapes the Penguin. He was on Calvin's Christmas list, and he'd already named him. Grapes.

Grapes is going to be well, well loved.

Programming the car with new music for Christmas

...for a long winter's nap

Eating Christmas calamari and discussing my new (very old) book art. Awesome.

Jon playing with Calvin's new train.

It's Christmas morning all over again!

Puppet chef! Nom nom nom...

Ahhhh...Christmas music

Crooked IPA is crooked

Merry Christmas!