Weekly Photo Wrap-Up: Santa Claus is Comin'

Christmas is in full swing in our town. The weekend after Thanksgiving was over, it seems everyone has gotten in the Christmas spirit. Tons of houses in our neighborhood are decked out in Christmas lights, stores are playing carols over the speakers, and everyone is rushing around doing their Christmas shopping. This year, I got my act together and finished my shopping right before Thanksgiving. Most of my motivation came from wanting to avoid the crowds of holiday shoppers, but what I really wanted is to relax and actually enjoy the holiday season so that I can more appreciate moments like this one:

My daughter met Santa Claus and absolutely loved him! I actually had to tear her away because she was talking his ear off :) It isn't the first time she's sat on Santa's lap, but it's the first year that she's actually understood the concept of Santa Claus. I know a lot of families don't do the "Santa Claus thing," but I grew up with fond memories of Santa and the magic that he adds to the season, and my husband and I plan on continuing the tradition. Connor, on the other hand, wasn't too excited about the idea of sitting on a stranger's lap, even if he did offer gummies. That's probably a good fear to have ;)

So what did Haley ask for? My Little Ponies. I'm glad she's making it manageable for Santa this year!

1. Talking to Santa 2. Giant gingerbread house

3. Haley riding the train 4. Connor riding the train

In addition to meeting Santa, we also got peppermint milkshakes and went on a drive to see Christmas lights around the area a few nights ago. Every house, no matter how little or how many lights they had up, got an excited gasp from my kids. It's amazing to me that so many people have already decorated their houses! Pittsburgh is such a festive, family friendly town, and I'm so proud to be part of it. It's so refreshing to live in a town that really comes together to celebrate the holidays in a big way.

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Don't forget, our Stuff Your Stockings handmade gift series starts up Monday with some great guest posters! We have some wonderful handmade ideas to share with you for the holidays.

Here's what else we did this week:

1. Magnetic Advent Calendar  2. Knight Birthday Party  3. Knight Invitations  4. DIY Knight Tunic