December 17th, 2008:

Our Christmas festivities kick off this weekend and despite some of the stress the preparations have delivered, I am stoked! Mike took Friday off from work and we’re going to run around (ok really drive around) and get all of our to-do list done. We have a long list of things to do that includes a trip to Sears Portrait Studio (to pick up our pics), Costco (for a fresh turkey), the grocery store, Zellers and lastly the Card store. I hope that Jacob is in a good mood on Friday because we really need him to co-operate so that we can get all of our errands done! On Friday night I plan to kick off some of the holiday baking that we wanted to do by making the Peanut Butter Temptation Cookies that someone on one of my message board posted, then on Saturday morning I’m making Shortbread Cookies and Jacob and I are going to make some fun Christmas Shaped Sugar Cookies….with sprinkles of course!

On Saturday evening Nana and Papa are taking Jacob downtown to see all the Christmas Lights and the giant Christmas Tree then he’s having a sleepover at their house so Mike and I are going to finish up all the last minute tasks we have to do around the house, bring out our bigger dining room table, do some preparations for Sunday’s dinner and then if we have time….we’re going to go to a late showing of Will Smith’s new movie Seven Pounds….it looks very promising. On Sunday morning if I am feeling up to it (and since its much easier to do without Jacob) we will go to Church and then come right home to start the preparations for the Johnson Family Christmas dinner which is set to happen that evening at our house as has been the tradition for the past few years. After Christmas dinner on Sunday we’ll tidy up and Mike has to work on Monday and Tuesday…so when he’s working I’ll do laundry and try to get some of our presents wrapped……so we can relax on Christmas Eve day when Mike starts his vacation.

Christmas Eve we are off to a quiet night at my dad’s house then back home to start our own Christmas traditions here….a late night snack together, putting out milk and cookies for Santa, opening up new pyjamas, and sitting down as a family to read Twas the Night Before Christmas. Christmas morning I’m so excited to watch Jacob come downstairs and experience Christmas together one last time before his sister arrives…..once our gifts are opened and everyone is dressed we are off to Nana and Papa’s house! I’m not sure if they’ll wait for us to eat breakfast this year but if they do that’s great, if not then we’ll eat a quick breakfast here then head over! I love spending the day at my mom’s house on Christmas day….I hope Jacob grows as fond of it as I have over the years….plus how could I have Christmas without my mom’s stuffing?!?

Gosh, I can’t wait for this all. Like I said…..Christmas is coming to Town and I’m stoked.

He might be getting old but he’s still got quick reflexes!

I’m really excited about Christmas this year because I feel like Jacob is totally engrossed in all the fun things we’ve been doing and all the wonderful things that are still to come. Last night I spent about forty minutes wrapping some presents and put them under the tree so that I could see how Jacob would react to actual presents being under the tree before Christmas. This morning I heard Jacob get up and head down stairs and then I heard nothing but silence….I quickly nudged Mike and he ran downstairs to see what Jacob was up to or more appropriately to see what Jacob was getting “into”. A few minutes later I joined Mike and Jacob downstairs and Mike said he found Jacob sitting on the floor staring at the Christmas presents. I remember that feeling when I was a kid…the wonder and amazement and the hope that there was something fantastic and exciting underneath the wrapped paper. I can’t wait for him to come down to the tree on Christmas morning when the presents are actually for him! So far he’s done a good job of leaving those presents alone because Mike and I just told him who they were for and how exciting it would be when they come to open them. I can’t wait for Christmas morning….

In other news my stock of Christmas wrapping paper is finally dwindling after all these years! I purchased a package at Costco years ago and it’s lasted soooo long….I get to go out on Friday and get some new stuff and it will NOT be coming from Costco since I have missed going out every year and getting different colors and patterns!