Then you trim the tree...

So Sunday we got the tree and turned on the Christmas lights outside the house.  Monday we put the candles in the window.  Tuesday we put up the tree and strung the lights, and finally Wednesday we decorated!  Each night the kids ask is it Christmas night tonight?!  Such a bummer to have to tell them not yet!  But when the night does come, it is going to be so exciting!

Caden had the job of star placer this year.

The kids were in love with all the ornaments. Most have some sort of story, and they love hearing about them.  And they love getting to put on the ornaments that they have been given, often fighting over who's is who's.. thankfully most all of them have their names on them so we can settle it pretty quickly.  Interestingly I did find an ornament from Caden's 1st Christmas that I labeled "CR"  funny.. who knew 5 years ago that we'd name all of them with the same initials?!

Even Cora was a big helper putting ornaments on!

It really was a fun experience.. we were rockin' around the Christmas tree with our Christmas music and the kids did a pretty good job spreading the ornaments out.  Last year I think all of the ornaments they put up ended up on three branches!  so I had to redistribute later!  I had to do minimal rearranging after they went to bed this time.

Caden is so in love with each of the ornaments.. this one blends in with the tree.. it is a beaded star.    We also have a pickle ornament which we hide in the tree and Caden tries to find.

 I have a box specific for breakables that I am in charge of unpacking! Those go straight to the top, along with the heavy ornaments that just never work down low.

We use the Christmas tree as our light while we are getting our coats on in the morning, for the first few mornings when Cora would come downstairs she would point to the tree and say "flower"  it was very cute.. and reminded me of Bambi! (he called the skunk, flower)

'Tis the Season!