So Fun, Santa!

Christmas has alrady come and gone and it's safe to say that it's been restored to its rightful place as one of my favorite holidays. Last year's Christmas pretty much imploded so my expectations for this year's celebration were not particularly high. Lucky for everyone involved, everything went smoothly and fun was had by all.

The highlight was definitely Sam's reaction to all of the hubbub. He was absolutely getty with excitement and loved it all - the candles, the music, the packages, the cookies, the countdown calendar, and especially Santa. Santa's looming arrival had him on his best behavior at bedtime for weeks, and the arrival of Elf on the Shelf on Dec. 23 made it all the more exciting.

Elliott went along for the ride. Like any other one-year-old, he was just thrilled to be surrounded by smiling faces and lots of new things to pick up and touch. I was so relieved that he was healthy for all of the celebrations, and in fact, I think he was the healthiest he's been in months.

My very favorite moment was when Sam opened a package from Santa and kept muttering, "he got my message, he got my message!" That alone made all of the prodding and planning worthwhile. What a genuinely sweet reaction.

I can't wait for next year!


Here's Sam spying the tree decked out with gifts for the first time. We knew that the wrapping paper would not withstand Elliott's eager hands, so we waited to put everything out until Christmas Eve.



Here are Elliott and Sam testing out the kitchen set from Santa. It's a big hit with both of them.