It's December so time to break out the Nativity!
Our Christmas lights looked great but the lack of snow was putting a damper on the Christmas Spirit.
The girls were a big help decorating the tree.
They were getting very excited and having the tree up just ramped up the anticipation even more!
We went and saw Coco and met the Justice League!
Cosmo enjoyed scowling under the tree.
We got some lights for the girls' mini trees in their room.
A very festive nightlight!
The annual Christmas party for Dad's work was at the same bowling alley as usual. The girls had fun playing 5-pin.
They were able to get the ball down the lane every time.
But we still used the bumpers...mainly for the grownups.
It was almost time to meet the big guy...
It's officially Christmas Time!
The girls really liked their presents from Santa.
And had fun bowling with their friend Sophie.
Before the bowling party, Gwen had a relapse of her stomach bug. She was all better by Saturday so bowling on Sunday was fine. But that night Cara got it. She missed school on Monday but had a ski trip on Tuesday and was very worried about missing the once-a-year event. But Tuesday morning, even though she wasn't 100%, she powered through, went skiing, and had a blast! We were so relieved she had a good time!
Our living room was getting pretty festive.
Gwen's Brownie unit got to play some handbells at a local Church.
Hey look, another picture with Sophie!
The girls weren't totally convinced that the Santa at the bowling alley was the real deal. To make sure we went to Bass Pro where we're sure we've seen the real guy...and got to meet Santa again! This time they were pretty sure it was really him!
We went to Heritage Park for some Christmas from the past.
The model train set was a hit as always.
We met some alpacas.
We saw some variations on a traditional Christmas tree.
The girls played checkers.
And played crokinole for the first time.
They got some gold coins from playing the Dreidl game in the synagogue.
We had traditional snowman pizza.
Gwen had her piano recital. She played Jingle Bells on the piano.
She nailed it!
And also sand Candle on the Water and Up on the Rooftop! She sounded great. An old lady told Dad she thought Gwen did better than even her own granddaughter!
We built a gingerbread house.
Most of the candy made it on the house.
We got a couple more inflatables to go with our snowman and fox...but still no snow :(
We played some Dreidl game to celebrate Hanukkah.
Gwen's Brownie unit volunteered to collect donations for the Salvation Army. Someone even gave them $100 bill.
The girls posed with a giant tree at the mall.
The traditional star made of old Christmas cards.
Grammy Price sadly passed away in December. Mary made this angel for our tree to remember her by. The girls call it their "Grammy Price Angel"
Cara's been learning some Christmas carols on the guitar. Here she is playing Silent Night.
We made some gingerbread cookies.
We decorated them with some frosting and sprinkles.
Gwen's Christmas recital was titled a Long Winter's Nap.
We got to see both the day and night shows and they were both great.
Gwen was front row center and you could really hear her singing!
Cara got a face tattoo at a school dance on the last day of school. Christmas Vacation has begun!
We made dough ornaments and painted them.
The girls were very creative with their colour choices.
We ended up with over a dozen of new ornaments for our tree.
It was cold and a little snowy but we wanted to go sliding in the Christmas lights in town before the big day. But as we drove, it turned into a blizzard and a white out! We made it and it cleared up a bit so we could enjoy the lights.
It was still pretty chilly.
Not too big to be pulled on a sled yet.
We had some fun sliding even though it was chilly.
The train is always a hit.
We saw Santa and his reindeer.
And another small train!
Christmas Eve! Time to hang the stockings.
Hoping they'll be full in the morning!
Dad hung up Cosmo's.
Hung by the chimney with care!
The traditional Christmas Eve Magic Sleeping Dust pjs arrived!
Snacks for Santa - Gwen really wanted to get Santa a Coke in a glass bottle thanks to the commercials.
They each opened one gift before bed - they chose to exchange their gifts to each other.
Cara got Gwen a Cyborg doll (which Gwen was really wanting!)
And Gwen got Cara a big Stitch Tsum Tsum stuffy (Cara's favourite!)
Christmas Morning!
The girls were up and checking things out (Gwen was up at about 4 or 5 am and was sooo excited) and we all got up around 8.
So much fun and happiness.
Lots of fun that morning.
Dad with his doors of Saint John!
Chaos!
Legos!
More Legos!
Gwen got her own Yokai Watch!
Cara got some ideas for Lego building!
These hoodies from Nanny and Papa were a big hit!
Cosmo actually played with this toy for a minute.
Dad looking at one of his favourite presents...a homemade Dominion card. Cara made it, it's called "A Pickle?"
They got some Fingerlings!
The final presents!
Cara got the robot she really wanted!
Gwen got a robot unicorn she asked for!
Mary got an InstantPot!
Dad got a new guitar!
It was a great morning, and the mamosas helped.
Cara's new robot Cozmo is very cool.
Dad rocking out.
It was a big mess but totally worth it.
Gwen's favourite gift was the game Miitopia from Santa!
Amelia came over for supper and some more presents!
Group shot! Merry Christmas!
Amelia liked opening presents.
And wasn't terrified by the shark socks Mary made her.
We sat down for a delicious meal...great work, Mom!
On Boxing Day, Freya and her parents came over for leftovers.
Now it's time to play with all the new toys! After Christmas, there was still almost 2 weeks of vacation left. It was pretty cold the first week (-40 C a few days), but once January rolled around it warmed up enough that we could go have some fun.
