magical.

dear december,

welcome!

i've been looking forward to your arrival.

this morning, the kids could hardly wait to pin your number one onto the advent calendar.

the countdown to number twenty-five has officially begun.

i can feel it now,

 the spirit of the season.

and it's magical.

being surrounded by little people who believe, with all their hearts,

that santa can do anything, is something special that i intend to cherish.

this morning, our sneaky little elf, oscar,

brought everyone new jammies.

what a fun surprise!

how does he do it?

if you have little ones and you don't have an elf,

it is a must.

a must, i tell you.

we received ours, unexpectedly, as a gift from a most dear friend.

and i simply can't thank her enough.

he has quickly become a favorite family tradition.

speaking of traditions,

small, simple acts of kindness will again be rewarded with a piece of straw.

straw, you ask?

last year, i was inspired by this article to begin a new tradition.

and it brought such a sweet spirit of service into our home.

most certainly, a tradition worth continuing, if you ask me.

...

all this talk of traditions has me curious...

what is your favorite holiday tradition?

...