It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmas! To the point of listening to Christmas music randomly beginning mid-summer and pretty steadily by late October. Everything about it makes me smile. This year offered a new prospective and sense of "merriment" to the season. When I found out we were having a baby, the new Christmas experience was so exciting for me.

My family has long-standing traditions and I couldn't wait to pass those on to Truett and to start our own family traditions. One of our new traditions is to purchase a gift in Truett's honor that will benefit someone in need. This year, through Samaritan's Purse, we purchased milk and prenatal care for a family. Having just had Truett, we know and appreciate the need for safe mothers and babies and adequate access to good, quality healthcare and nutrition. As Truett gets older, we'll let him pick out the gifts that are given. This gift is to be given in the place of a toy or item and we hope it will help instill the true meaning of Christ's love in Truett. Jayson and I really enjoyed picking out the item. We received an acknowledgment card that we put into Truett's stocking.

Confession- Truett didn't really have a stocking! For someone who loves Christmas so much, you'd think I'd buy my child a stocking. I have good reasoning behind this- I really wanted monogrammed stockings and I wanted them to all match. So my logic was to buy them after Christmas when they'd be on sale. As of today, 2/29/12, the Swain family does NOT have new stockings.

Now that I have that off of my chest...

Our Christmas season traditions:

Dickens Family Gingerbread house Competition- It is fierce! And I dominate! Each person or couple decorates their house and Nanny and possibly a neighbor friend will be our judges. This year, Mal and I were named champions! Kyle, the engineer in the family, failed miserably. And I'm not sure what Jayson was thinking...

The winning house

Kyle and Jayson's village

Visit with Santa- I admit...I was nervous! I was really looking forward to the photo-op but Truett was starting into his separation anxiety phase and out of his "he'll go to anyone who smiles at him" phase and I wasn't sure what his reaction would be to this stranger dressed in red. It was a Saturday and I wanted to time it just after food and right before nap. Thankfully, Truett's curiosity took charge and he just stared. We were quick and everyone left happy! I love this picture. It's so sweet and innocent.

Ornament making- A Swain family tradition. (The Dickens side isn't crafty) Pinterest has quickly become my latest addiction. Forget Facebook, just leave me with Pinterest. So as the season was approaching and Pinterest was taking up the time that I should have been blogging, I was "pinning" the greatest Christmas ideas. One being hand prints painted as Santas. Now, this may sound easy. But if you've never held the squirmy tiny hand of a 10 month old while holding him upside down as to have enough pressure to make the indention, try it! And do it for 8 molds. Well worth it though. I can't wait to see our tree in 10 or 15 years with our kid's ornaments.

Christmas PJs- New for our family. On the Dickens side, our Christmas Eve rule was one present only! No exceptions. Jayson and I have decided that our one present will be Christmas PJs.

Christmas Eve Service- My personal favorite. Truett did pretty well until he bumped his head on the pew in front of him and he started to cry.

"The Night Before Christmas"- Truett's Auntie M (Mallory, my sister) gave him this book and a reindeer blanket. This will be a new tradition for Christmas with Grandaddy Jeff.

As always, family visits are part of the Christmas holiday. This year, we had an extra special visit with Jayson's great-grandmother, Gram Willy. This picture was the first time that both Truett and Leighton had met Gram Willy. 5 generations were present. Truett and Leighton, Jayson and Alex, Granny Angie, Granny LaLa, and Gram Willy. How special!

Dads hard at work