Christmas Is Feeling Very Christmas-y This Year

At first I couldn't but my finger on it, but for some reason, Christmas is just feeling more Christmas-y to me this year.  I am enjoying the season more, looking forward to celebrating with family and friends and love watching my kids get more and more excited as we get closer to Christmas morning.  So what's different this year I had to wonder?  Here is the list I came up with:

• No more sleepless nights
• No more diapers (pull ups at night don't count)
• No more pureed food, high chairs, bottles or breastfeeding
• No more pulling ornaments off the tree (well, mostly no more)
• No more tears at the sight of Santa

Almost one year old.  Don't be fooled...he lost it the minute this photo ended! We got very lucky!

Don't get me wrong, this is not to say that I have not enjoyed the past four Christmases since my son and then my daughter were born but I'll be honest, I'm enjoying it all a lot more this year! As my kids get older, their enjoyment of the holidays fuels my enjoyment to an exponential level.  And while a baby is adorably cute in a Santa suit or a reindeer onesie, they still wake you up in the middle of the night making Christmas morning foggy!  Both my kids 'get' (and believe in) Santa this year.  They love the snow and want to play in it as opposed to just being bundled up in a snowsuit and not being able to move (see picture below).

Doesn't she look thrilled to be bundled up?

I look back on the pictures of my kids on both of their first Christmases with fond memories and I love the ornaments we have added to the tree over the years that have their pictures as babies but I am so looking forward to this Christmas and the ones to come.  So my words of wisdom (unsolicited, I know) to those mamas who are still in the 'foggy years' (to me that means at least one kid under two, mamas that have multiple kids under 3 or 4 years of age, etc) is to enjoy the season the best you can but don't feel bad if it doesn't seem all that Christmas-y.  It will come!