Oh Christmas Tree

The day after we got home from Virginia we headed to the Christmas Tree farm to cut ours down. 

Sophie trying her best to saw the trunk. 

Dave and the girls with the kill. 

Later that week we decorated the tree. Definitely one of my favorite things to do in the Christmas season. I love taking out all of the ornaments and remembering the story each has. Especially the homemade ones from the girls. 

Lydia helped decorate too

The final product! 

Benson stayed by the fire and monitored our process. 

Earlier that day Lydia took the girls to see Santa at the King of Prussia mall. Sophie is asking for a stuffed unicorn, LOL dolls (which are apparently the hot item this year), a makeup kit, and a surprise.  Lauren just wants a stuffed cat. We'll see what Santa delivers. 

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We arrived back from Virginia on Saturday and on Sunday went right into Christmas mode. This year we went to a cut-your-own Christmas tree farm in Collegeville and did just that. We pulled out all of the holiday boxes, and by Sunday night the house was fully decked. One full month of Christmas bliss :)

Sophie helping Dave cut down the tree

The girls and Dave with the freshly cut tree

Fully decorated. As you can see, we don't really abide by the "don't touch" rule for the Elf on the Shelf. He's more of a "helper" in our house.. 

The following weekend we went to see Santa at the Northwestern Stables in Fairmount Park. To be a little more accurate, it's Santa and his horse, Otis.

Lauren wasn't too thrilled about the situation.

Santa

We took the girls to see Santa at a horse stable just outside the City. Lauren was NOT thrilled about the horses. You'll notice the very worried look on her face... she knew there was one right behind her. Not cool, Santa. Not cool.

Santa

This weekend we went to a family holiday party at the Union League and Santa was there. While Sophie was thrilled with all of the big blow up characters, she was less than thrilled to sit on Santas lap.

Batting 0 for 2 in getting her to smile while sitting on Santa's lap.

However, as soon as we got her sitting next to a stuffed bear, she perked right up. Note to self for next year: bring a teddy bear :) 

Our Christmas joy!