Our Christmas House

I wish I could say that decorating the house was a family affair, but with the kids still being small, Jeremy and I did most of it while they were tucked into bed fast asleep. Jeremy put up the tree while I hung the stockings and placed the other Christmas decorations around the house. The next morning as I was changing Owen, I told them that there was a surprise downstairs for them. Ben asked me if it was a present and looked thoroughly confused when I told him that it wasn't.

When we made our way down the stairs he immediately saw a sign on the handle of the coat closet door that has a picture of Santa that says Merry Christmas. He ran into the living room and saw the tree. He was so excited. "Who did this Mom? Is this our Christmas house?" That was the exact reaction that we were hoping for.

Owen loves the tree and the Santa on the train that sits underneath. Ben helped us decorate the tree a few nights later. I bought a huge assortment of nonbreakable ornaments this year so that no one would get hurt if something fell. Ben was careful not to put anything too far down so that Owen wouldn't be tempted to grab it.

The sweetest thing was when Ben asked me about the nativity scene. He was very interested in hearing about the people portrayed and I almost cried while I was telling him the story of the baby in the manger. I don't think that he quite understands the true meaning of Christmas just yet, but I hope that both the boys will come to know that it is a time of giving and not just receiving.