december one

I know that everyone is different, but I like keeping my holidays firmly in the month they occur.  Most of the big ones have their own month and to keep things manageable, I try to think of them only one at a time.  

Which is why, in spite of the boys' begging to do it sooner, December 1st is the date we set aside to put up our Christmas decorations.  And tried not to think about the fact that we were putting up snowmen and stockings while the temperature got up to 50 degrees today.

First, Jason, Michael and Ben put together our low-tech and hypo-allergenic tree.  I realize that Jason looks like he is attacking Ben's neck with possible vampiresque motivation, but he is really just trying to help Ben put the top on.

Josh, in the meantime, was upstairs perfecting his letters to Lucas Films and Hasboro about a new design for a toy lightsaber that he has developed.  Jason looked up the addresses for him (even though Lucas Film has a statement on their website asking people not to send ideas to them).

Eventually the lure of opening up the the Christmas boxes drew him down to the living room and the boys finished getting the tree all pretty.

After which, the boys got to play with all the Christmas-related toys that we keep packed up with the ornaments.  It is usually pretty exciting for them to play with toys they haven't seen in eleven months.  Which explains why I saw Michael later in the evening trying to attach the Wise Men that has velcro to the bottom of his sock and encouraging Ben to do the same with Joseph.