Gingerbread

When Christmas rolls around every year I'm always so unprepared. I'm not sure why...but I am. It's just that one day you're living a normal life, then suddenly everyone has their trees us and their lights up and we're still just trying to get piano lessons, and homework, and lunches, and dinner, and baths, and normal everyday life done. This year I thought I'd be a little bit more prepared and get our book advent ready to open on the first (normally it takes a week into December for this tradition to start). So I spent one late night (November 31st to be exact) and wrapped up 24 Christmas gifts for my girls to open each day. And boy did I feel proud of myself. Ben had also strung all the Christmas lights outside the week before. Boy was I especially proud of him. And then we sat back! And about a week into December I realized I'd forgotten to decorate for Christmas!! How do you forget something like that? I'd also forgotten to buy fun things like Chocolate advent Calendars and Ginger bread houses. So one night when we made it through piano lessons, and homework, and lunches, and dinner, and baths, and normal everyday life we finally got around to officially decorating for Christmas. And then another day when we made it successfully through that list we made our gingerbread house.

Now, you may remember my theory on Holidays: It's all about the kids. I let them get involved 100%. I do not have a fancy tree with designer ornaments and coordinating colours. Instead I have a tree that has plastic balls, lots of homemade ornaments from the girls and lots of ornaments from my childhood tree. My tree is all about love and not a lot about looking amazing - especially when you find all 10 of the red plastic balls on one branch...and then not a single ornament on over half of the other branches. But...honestly, this is what looks amazing to me! It's LOVE.

My same theory applies to gingerbread houses...this is the time to let the kids get a little wild, let them express their creative side, and most importantly to draw icing moustache's on their little faces. There is no better tradition than this! I LOVE IT! My home won't be appearing in any magazines that's for sure. And no one will ask me how I am so talented or how I do it all. Because I don't. BUT my girls will remember their silly mom who danced to Boney M Christmas music and smooched their dad under the mistletoe while they carefully decorated their masterpieces! And then we'll all remember licking the icing off our faces after.