December 1st

About 10 or 11 years ago I started a Christmas tradition.  I gave my youngest daughter a Saturday off to go Christmas shopping with her husband - and I would take my baby grandson for the day.  Back in those days - not much happened except I babysat and they shopped.

As the years have gone by - the one grandson has been joined by his 2 brothers.  We have gone from just babysitting to full fledged decorating granny's house and baking.  My daughter still gets one day to do as she pleases (which has always been Christmas shopping).  It has been a challenge each year to juggle all the responsibilities of decorating / baking / crafting / changing diapers / nap times and by the end of each special Christmas Saturday - granny was left feeling like she had been run over by a freight train.............. and I have to add here - that was with help from W.  

This year I was on my own.  And it went so well !!!!  The kids are older - even the "baby" is grown up (at the ripe old age of 3) ......... and the extra pair of hands wasn't needed as much.  Apparently the nearly 12 year old was lifted out of a blue mood during the week at the prospect of spending Saturday with granny and the 6 year old walked into his Mom's shower at 8 on Saturday and announced it was taking WAY too long to get ready to go to granny's !!!

We spent the day making those hand print ornaments for Mom and Dad...... 

baking cookies........ decorating cookies (more like eating as much of the candy as possible) hanging the ornaments on the tree (memo to self - gotta go and re-align not only the ornaments but the tree !!)  rough housing and watching movies and just having a great time together !!! 

Miss Ashes - who does NOT like children and NOISE at all (she reminds me of the Grinch - saying "the Noise the noise the noise" !!!) - plotted her escape for most of the day....................

  BUT when all was said and done.......... and when the clock struck dinner time and the kids were bundled into the car for the trip back out to the Island - even the mess and chaos left behind did nothing to damper my spirits.  THIS is what makes Christmas special - traditions that last a lifetime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

though I think Miss Ashes may just disagree with me.......... she curled up under the tree as the door slammed shut - and slept the night away....................