The Holiday Season . . .

is here, and I'm trying to simplify this year. It's easy to get carried away and I'm trying to avoid that this year. The kids each chose a gift to donate to the Christmas Box, and I think that has helped the kids focus on the giving aspect of Christmas, not so much the receiving. I overheard Tyler telling is friend Estee that "everyone knows Christmas is about giving." For a six year old, that's pretty good (at least in words, we'll see in actions). Anyhow, the kids are off for Christmas break on Friday and I realized I have three afternoons to finish their shopping before they're home. So far, pretty good. I mostly just have neighbor and friend gifts to put together.

I did decide that I wasn't going to do Christmas cards this year, although Pete put together a little Jibjab video of the kids and emailed it around. Next year. I love receiving Christmas cards, so keep sending them, I just haven't had a chance to put any together this year, and in the spirit of simplifying, I decided to avoid that stress altogether!

Anyhow, happy holidays!