ChRiStMaS SuRvEy...

I ran across this the other day, and thought it looked fun...

How do you transition yourself from one holiday to the next?

I love decorating for all the different holidays! I especially love when FALL comes around, there is just a newness in the air, that makes it "feel" different!

-When do you put up your Christmas decorations?

We usually decorate before Thanksgiving, since we are never home for Thanksgiving. It is so nice to have it done when we get home! I will never forget our first year living here, when we drove back from Arizona Sunday night, our WHOLE street had their lights on! We hadn't even put ours up yet, so we remembered the next year and got them up early! :) Every Veterans Day (Nov. 11th) the bank is closed, so Morgan has the day off. That has been his designated day to put the lights up on the house! Usually there isn't any snow yet, and it's not too cold! It always feels super early, but it's nice to get them up! This year, it put a bug in me, and I got all excited and even put my Christmas stuff up then! I must have been sick of my FALL decorations!

-Do you wrap all the presents throughout the month and put them under the tree, or do you wait until Christmas Eve?

I usually try to plan a night to get all my wrapping done before it's too close to Christmas, once they are wrapped they go under the tree! The kids always have fun counting how many they each have! I have to be careful to make it FAIR! This year I am afraid to put them under the tree because of what little Halle might do to them! I will have to test a couple and see what she does! She has been super good with the tree being up! I was worried she would pull the whole thing down on her!

-Do you warn your kids that Santa might NOT be bringing them what they want for Christmas this year?

YES! I like to tell them that they most likely won't get everything on their list, but that it is fun to have a "wish list" of everything you ever wanted, even if you only get a couple things from it! As they get older, their list definitely gets more expensive!

-Do you decorate your Christmas tree with colored lights or just white?

WHITE!! :)Well, I have white lights on the tree, and colored lights on the house! I love the white, it just looks so clean, and crisp!

-Have your children watched all the old Christmas movies that you watched when you were little?

We have the three pack of Frosty the snowman, Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, and Santa Clause is coming to to town. We also watched Christmas Vacations last year for the first time with the kids! Boy, do you ever look at a movie differently when your kids are watching it with you! We ALWAYS watched it growing up! The pool scene was really the only thing! ;) Home Alone is always a good one too! I love that ABC family shows a Christmas movie every night through the month of December!

-Do you let your children open a gift on Christmas Eve?

It's been tradition since I was little to open up p.j.'s every Christmas Eve, I think it's just so everyone looks good for pictures Christmas morning!

-Does everyone have the same stocking each year, or do you purchase new ones every Christmas?

We always have matching stockings, but I have changed them a few times! When Boston was 3 I got all new stockings from Pottery Barn Kids. I was thrilled when Halle came along that they still had the same ones so I could get her one to match!

-Does your Christmas tree have a different theme each year?

Nope, we just add more ornaments each year. I try to get my kids each a new ornament each year, so they each have one from the year they were born, till the age they are now. Our tree is totally for the kids! I would love to have a themed nicely decorated tree, but I have my whole life for that! :) I love that our tree is totally the kids things, it is so fun, and they love to see "their" things displayed! I know I will miss it when they aren't around, so I'm going to enjoy the big clumps of ornaments hung in one spot! Because THEIR little hands put them there!

-Artificial tree or real?

We have always had a REAL tree up until 3 years ago, my mom happened to be getting a new artificial one and asked me if I wanted hers. It is a hard transition to make, but I have to admit a FAKE tree is the way to go! It is so nice not having to water it, and having needles ALL over the floor! Ours would always get so dry the last 2 weeks that I never dared turn the lights on, afraid it would catch on fire!

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I would love to hear your answers!