Thanksgiving and Christmas 2019

We had another wonderful holiday season.  It is my favorite time of the whole year.  This year I started decorating earlier than ever.  I kept putting Sumner off ever since July (or maybe even earlier) when Hobby Lobby put out their Christmas stuff, because all he wanted was a "tree taller than me that spins around!" He is my little Christmas-loving buddy and has always gotten so very excited about everything that has to do with Christmas. So, around the middle of October, I broke down and gave in.  The two of us set out on a dreary Saturday morning to shop for Christmas decorations.  We had done a yard sale recently, and sold a lot of his toys, so he used the money to help buy the things he wanted for his room.  We had the very best time together. I hope he will always remember that special day. We ended up getting a pretty Christmas tree from Belk with colored lights.  At Hobby Lobby, he picked out the tree "skirt" which wasn't really a skirt, and was made to look like Santa's suit/belt, old fashioned bubble lights (that I told him reminded me of my Mee-Maw and Pee-Paw's Christmas tree when I was little), candy cane garland, some stocking ornaments, and probably a few more things I can't remember.  Next, we went to Walmart and bought a nativity projector, a star for the top, Christmas ball ornaments, a climbing ladder Santa, and elf legs to stick into the tree. We were both so excited and could not wait to get home and decorate!  We waited until the first weekend of November to decorate the rest of the house.

When I say I love the holiday season, really that "season" starts in October when the fall activities begin which lead into Thanksgiving, which jumps right into CHRISTMAS! And we made so many memories through these months!  Some of the highlights leading up to the REAL Christmas season were: roasting marshmallows and hotdogs, Anna Ruth's sweet Thanksgiving program at her school, me teaching a lesson about the history of the Macy's Day Parade for Sumner's class, making jackolanters, Halloween (Sumner=inflatable cowboy, Anna Ruth,=Ariel, Abigail=purple dinosaur because at the time she loveddddd dinosaurs, or at least imitating them), Thanksgiving at Uncle Darrel and Aunt Linda's house (the same tradition from my childhood), and FINALLY we really kicked off Christmas with Lights! Lights! On Thanksgiving Night! This is what Sumner really looks forward to (we all do, but he has always been obsessed!) and we do it every year!

Thanksgiving was as late as it could possibly be this year, so once it was over, Christmas truly was just right around the corner.  We tried to make the most of every minute.  We did so by watching Christmas movies on the weekends (what Anna Ruth calls "junk night"), visiting the square a few times and just playing under the lights, visiting the park in Tifton to see their lights, going to a Christmas parade, we went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney World,  Sumner and Matthew were in the production at our church called One Starry Night, and we went to watch, visiting the Albany Mall to ride the train and visit Santa (and of course hit up Krispy Kreme), riding the Polar Express at the Agrirama, making Christmas crafts, Anna Ruth's Christmas program and party at her school, making gingerbread houses with Sumner at his school, Sumner's Christmas party, the candlelight service on Christmas Eve at church, and all the Christmas gatherings we shared with family and friends.

Christmas with Uncle Dwight and Aunt Carol's was our first Christmas gathering.  Hannah & Chad were there with their children, Ben and Caroline and so were Angel & Josh with their children, Tyler and Avery.  The kids LOVE playing together.

Next, was Christmas at Grandma and Granddaddy Murphy's. This is a special Christmas tradition that I have done all my life and I am so thankful to still be able to do with them now.  It might be crowded in their home, but it is always so much fun!

Christmas Eve (afternoon) DD and Mr. Tommy came over and we went to eat at Cracker Barrel, exchanged gifts, and then made Jesus' Birthday cake.

When they left we went to the candlelight service at Church, and then went for supper and to exchange gifts with Yaya and Top at their house.  Yaya always has the most delicious breakfast cooked, and the house decorated so pretty! Y'all have a ball over there opening all of your gifts and playing "Santa and the Elves" when passing out gifts.

We usually get home from their house around 9:30 or so, and we kind of have to hurry to put out reindeer food, read "The Night Before Christmas", put out Santa's milk and cookies, say our prayers, and get you guys into bed!  We are lucky to have y'all asleep by midnight.

Christmas morning was so special! I really believe this is the most excited y'all have ever been!  Y'all could not wait to run down the hall and see what all you had waiting on you! I think your favorite was the pictures Santa left of him putting out presents and flying away from our actual house!  Sumner had asked for that in his letter to Santa, and Santa delivered! :)

After we opened all our gifts, we had one more surprise in store, and this surprise was from us, Yaya and Top, and Uncle David.  They all were standing outside the garage beside a Polaris Ranger, just your size, when y'all walked out! Y'all were SO excited and have burned up several tanks of gas already!

Later that day, Papa came over and spent the day with us and we also exchanged gifts.  And last, but not least, that night we went back to Yaya and Top's to eat supper with Uncle Dwight, Aunt Carol, Uncle David, and Grandma.

The rest of the Christmas break was spent staying home and just being together.  We played games, watched movies, rode miles and miles on the ranger, and just enjoyed one another!

I pray for many, many, many more years just like this one! I am so blessed and so thankful to God for another year with the ones I love!