Hanging Annual Ornaments & Her Stocking

We have bought C a Lenox Annual Snowflake ornament every year from her first Christmas. On Dec. 26th they break the mold and there's never another one like it. It's a fun tradition. We'll continue getting the annual snowflake until she's 18. Then when she has a home of her own she'll get all 18 to hang on her own tree. But we're not going to talk about that so much right now. We're already on ornament number THREE!! How did that happen! This is her third Christmas. She'll get her new ornament on Christmas Eve but we went ahead and had her hang her first two snowflakes tonight.

Then she got to hang a ton of fun ornaments right on her level in her very own section of the tree. We explained to her that she could play with them, take them off, put them back on, etc.and that this was HER section.

She had a lot of fun putting her ornaments on the tree. She even shoved her big snowballs back on the tree that we got her last year. It's so fun that she's already big enough to hang 'real' ornaments! Although, at one point while I was hanging the fragile ornaments on the tree that she wasn't allowed to play with I looked over and she was pulling all of her ornaments off and putting them on the floor! I went over and picked her up, she said she was frustrated. I reminded her that while she wasn't allowed to play with the fragile ornaments she had this WHOLE section all to herself. We re-hung her ornaments and then she was better. She would 'pat pat pat' the fragile ornaments and then play and play with hers.

It all worked out, but I think next year I'll put the rest of the ornaments on after she's in bed so she won't feel frustrated by not being able to play with the ones with hooks on them.

Then we hung the stockings and told her on Christmas Day it would have presents in it...WOOHOO! She's pretty excited about that. It is so neat to watch the wonder and awe in her eyes. She loves playing with baby Jesus, and "Celebrighting" Him this season.