Noah was such a great helper! Cody and I are eager for this season with Noah. Everything is magical and exciting through Noah's eyes. The simplest things like ornaments, twinkly lights or having a real tree in the living room brings such joy to our son. His excitement is very much needed for us these days. He is uplifting and joyous without even knowing it!
Noah and I went to Lowe's to pick out a real tree because I refuse to have an artificial Christmas tree. I love the evergreen smell and it's just not Christmas with a fake tree in the living room. We went to Lowe's on Black Friday because the trees were discounted for the sale, plus lights and other decorations. Noah helped me pick out a beautiful seven foot Douglas Fir. We didn't put the tree up immediately. He kept asking where the tree went or when we were going to decorate it.
To break the ice on decorating, we put a little tree in Noah's room. Yes, this one is fake, I know. It's one I've used in my classroom prior to having Noah . It's a good size for him, so we use it. 
First we wrapped the colored twinkly lights then dressed the tree in rocket ships, flying saucers, robots and dinosaurs with a few red stars, red balls and snowmen mixed in for merriment. Every ornament we unwrapped Noah would gasp, "Oh wow! Look at that one" or "Oh that is so cool, Mom". Once we finished, he had to run and get Daddy. Noah led Cody down the hall because Daddy had to have his eyes closed for the big reveal. He shows off his little tree to everyone who comes to visit. He said that he's so lucky to get to have his own Christmas tree. Maybe Santa will leave something under it this year...
Then we moved to the living room putting on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on DVD to create the holiday spirit. You just can't get in the decorating mood if you don't have a Christmas movie playing in the background! We decorated the shelves, the mantle and the banister. I actually have a banister to make pretty! I enjoyed that very much!! It makes the entrance to the Man Cave very festive and inviting. (I'm also using the blog entry to show off our decorate house! Some of you who live far away have requested pictures of the finished remodel, so enjoy!)
The actual mantle is an old piece of wood shaped like a railroad tie. Cody found it at an antique store, The Brass Armadillo, in Des Moines, Iowa during last spring's trip to Wisconsin. We usually make a stop there for Mom because she is an antique junkie. It was a great find and rather inexpensive, so we snagged it up. We figured we wouldn't find a piece like it again with so much character. It makes the fireplace look complete. Noah LOVED the twinkly lights idea. He kept telling me how creative I was for putting lights on the fireplace.
I also very much enjoyed putting out my Mima's nativity scene. Papa gave this to me last Christmas, but I didn't really have a great place to display her nativity in our old house. This year the built-in buffet in the dining room is the perfect place. The nativity will be something I pass down to Noah and his children. It means a great deal to me because I helped my Mima make it. I remember helping paint Baby Jesus. I'm so honored to get to take care of these keepsakes. 
I've said before that I love standing at my kitchen window especially now that it's tiled! Thanks to an idea from Pinterest and my sister-in-laws, Sundy and Masha, my favorite window is now very merry! Noah, again, was so impressed that I thought to hang pretty balls on string in the window. He makes sure visitors see not only his own little Christmas tree, but "Mommy's balls", too. HA!
I am most excited about Noah's Advent calendar. He is old enough to begin understanding the true meaning of Christmas - Our Savior, Jesus. So to help celebrate that, Mimi sewed up a holiday calendar from an idea I stole from, yes, Pinterest. On Thanksgiving I painted on a number in shiny gold to keep track of the days of Advent. I also made Advent cards which I laminated at school. The cards say a different thing for every day-things like "Learn about another culture's holiday." or "Clean out your pantry and donate food to the local food bank." and "Buy a gift for a children less fortunate." There are, of course, a few cards - at least one a week - where Noah receives a small gift - piece of chocolate, coloring book, socks or an extended bedtime. Not only does Noah do a small activity of kindness and compassion, he will also learn about the Nativity. On each card, there is a sticker. He will build the Nativity out of stickers, adding one each day. On some days, there is a scripture for the Gospels telling the significance of that person or thing in the Nativity. I'm just so excited to do this with him, not just this year, but always. Yes, a lot of thought and time went in to this activity. It'll be so worth it. My son already loves Jesus. Now he'll learn even more about the God he loves.
My mom joked and said we should go into business together making Advent calendars. If you're interested, I'm sure we can make you one for a small fee. ;) Have a very blessed season as you prepare your own home for our Reedemer's birth.
