Magic of the Tree

Traditionally, I prefer to set up my Christmas tree Thanksgiving week. But we will be in New Jersey that weekend and busy the weeks following. So, we set up our Christmas tree Sunday afternoon. Although Ema really didn't know exactly what was going on, she did understand it was something exciting. As Gage brought all of our Christmas decorations down from the attic, she gathered her blankie and a few choice animals and dolls and sat on the couch in the living room just staring at the Christmas tree box, waiting for something to happen.

Once we began assembling the tree, she joined right in, spreading the branches and reacting excitedly when the lights were turned on. Then it came time to decorate. Remember, Ema is 2 and not exactly tall. So initially, our tree was very heavily decorated on the lowest branches. We're talking two or three ornaments on one branch (as you can see in the photo). I eventually spread them out once she lost interest -- which really didn't take long. After a long nap, Ema was excited to walk out and see the tree all lit up. She played under it with her manger set and really seemed to enjoy it. She also enjoyed finding snowmen scattered around the house. Hopefully she will get to see a real one this year...probably our best chance will be at Christmas in Indiana since Richmond had no measurable snow last winter.

There are many more photos of our weekend, including photos from the birthday party Ema attended on Saturday.