Christmas Top Ten

I've always loved Christmastime. I started enjoying it even more when we had Grace and began passing down our family traditions to her. However, this year is first year that she has really gotten into "the spirit" herself. We are having so much fun watching her enjoy this month. In honor of her new love of all things Christmas, I present my first ever top ten list.

The Top Ten Ways you Know your Toddler is in the Christmas Spirit:

10. Your toddler marches around the house singing Christmas songs and proclaiming, "I'm a Christmas Carol!"

9. No matter how many times a day you turn off the Christmas tree lights, they always seem to be back on within minutes.

8. The new favorite game is pretending to be Santa and asking everyone want they want for Christmas. (By the way, according to our little Santa, we're all out of cute little redheads for this year!)

7. Your child has learned that whenever they ring a bell they should say, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." If your tree is covered in bells like ours is, you can expect to hear this many, many times everyday.

6. On any given day you can expect your toddler to either not sleep at all because they are so wound up from the excitement and/or sugar OR take the longest naps they've taken in a year because they've finally given in to the exhaustion.

5. At bedtime, instead of wanting to hear the usual goodnight songs, your toddler insists on hearing a Christmas song. More precisely, "One I never heard before."

4. The ornaments that were once hung on your tree are now littered throughout your entire house.

3. Whenever you drive through the neighborhood in the dark, you are expected to give an explanation of why not all of the house have decorated for Christmas. (Luckily your toddler has not yet realized that their house is one of those not yet decorated. That would take A LOT of explaining!)

2. Baby Jesus has become a new favorite playmate. He is taken to "the doctor's office" (aka behind the couch), given cheerios to eat, and has been introduced to Boots the monkey who is standing in for a shepherd in the nativity set along with Noah and an extra Joseph.

1. You find your child naked behind the Christmas tree. When you ask what they're doing, they reply, "I'm just getting cozy in the Christmas tree."