thank you santa!

thank you santa! it's so, so lovely and has so many, many more sparkley lights than we've ever enjoyed before. it's just what i wanted....how did you know? and it arrived just in time for us to put it up for family home evening. our old tree was abandoned, well, given away, with so many of our belongings, when we left japan. it was a large tree for japan, but in reality, quite small. so we needed a tree this year. and (i'm sure you know this santa) every year we have experienced some amount of family tension in getting the lights strung on our tree, which isn't at all conducive to the christmas spirit. so for several years i've been dreaming of this very tree. it isn't decorated yet, but still so lovely - so lovely that it doesn't need much by way of extra decorations.  i will endeavor to be a good girl for the rest of the christmas season, to be deserving of your early present to me. (stock photo from christmastreesgalore.com).

yesterday i found gracie discovering its magic.....as soon as the camera came out, she was joined by two more.

i like to keep our favorite christmas stories & books under the tree. yesterday the four of us enjoyed "the grinch" and "rudolph the red nosed reindeer". mia says its so much more fun to read under the tree (preferably completely under the tree, lying on your belly). who could argue?