It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Alaina got to meet Santa for the first time last weekend. We stumbled upon him in a storefront in a small town where there was no line and we were able to take photos with no pressure (or even option) to buy anything. She had no requests for Santa -- I think she was a bit surprised by the whole thing. A little reluctant to sit on his lap and did not stay there for long, but if she had been truly scared she wouldn't have done it at all. I was thrilled to be able to give her this experience in a low-key setting rather than waiting in a line at the mall.


We also attended something called "A Night in Bethlehem" at a local church. Basically they had tons of people in costume and all sorts of booths set up like the town of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth, such as a tax collector, marketplace, potter, jeweler, carpenter, bakery, spice shop, etc. There were also several animals (donkey, pony, goats, and two camels). Many of the stations had crafts for the kids, things to taste that might have been eaten at the time, and other activities. I would definitely like to attend again next year!

Here's Alaina looking at some pottery. They had a potter there making things on a potter's wheel.


Listening to stories at the storyteller area:



Visiting baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph:

My mom also got us a kit for making a gingerbread house, so Alaina and I put it together last week. Well, mostly I put it together and Alaina sampled candies.