Before we said goodbye to November, Derrick's oldest brother, Tony, stopped by for a quick overnight visit with his grandson, Hunter.
And then, we pulled out the decorations and just like that, it started to look like Christmas everywhere.
On Friday night, despite some drizzles, Amelia and I went to our town's tree lighting ceremony. Before the tree was lit, a Capella Group was performing Christmas songs.
Then we headed to to see Santa at the Community Center, where my girl told the jolly old fella that she would like a guinea pig, please.
On our way out, we looked at all the Christmas displays on the lawn:
And then it was December 1st, which means our two elves, Eli and Sparkle, are back to watch the children and do silly things around the house.
It is also the first day of the Advent season, with lots of fun events happening this month. The children not only received their Milka chocolate calendar from Opa to open every day but they also enjoy the Christmas activity calendar. Even at 6am on a school day, you can find them drawing away in their calendars.
And it was also our cat's 10th birthday. Happy birthday, Indy! She likes laying by the fire, preferably near or on top of my book, saying hello to our fish and cuddle on my lap after the kids go to bed.
That Saturday, while the rain continued, it was our town's annual Christmas parade. Luckily, it only drizzled at that point, so that we were able to watch the floats roll by on Main Street.
After a quick stop at home to feed the children, we then went to the local park for Yulefest. Yulefest shows the old time traditions of past Christmas seasons, where the fort at Mansker Station comes alive with music, storytelling, dancing and demonstrations.
We love going there every year and a family favorite is the carriage ride as well as listening to the harp player. But every year we discover something new. This year, we learned about an instrument called a hammered dulcimer.
Carriage ride thru the park in the dark.
It might have been a bit wet but so worth it. We will definitely be back. Sunday morning we went to church and in the afternoon, Amelia and I met up with my niece in downtown. After a hot beverage and some sidewalk art, we then went to a Choral Christmas Concert, where my co-worker performed a solo (the Magnifikat) in German.
The first Advent weekend was full of fun and Christmas joy and the rest of the month will be no different. This is a special time of the year, where eyes lite up brightly and one can almost feel the Christmas magic happening, especially when you are surrounded by small children. They make this season so much brighter and their joy and laughter is infectious.
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