O Tanenenbaum

Last Saturday we got our FIRST Christmas tree and wreath. We went to DeMerritt Hill Farm for a whole program they have for getting the tree. You have to reserve it before Thanksgiving, and it is $85, but it was so worth it! We got to the store and Santa came in and said his greetings, they led the way to his tractor (this particular Santa was also wearing jeans, work boots and work gloves...obviously a working farm Santa:) ) and Mrs. Claus took a picture of us with Santa in front of it. Oliver did better with Santa this time because he never actually had to touch him! Santa then drove the tractor around the orchard and some nature trails while we rode in the cart in the back. They had some horse blankets but it was still cold cold cold!! Oliver sat on Shane's lap and just looked completely overwhelmed the whole time, Lily was in the Baby Bjorn and slept through the whole thing. When we got back to the store Mrs. Clause took us up to the old school house and read The Night Before Christmas to Oliver. He was so cute, he started off sitting on a bench, and kept inching his way closer until she asked if he wanted to stil on her lap, he nodded and started backing up into her lap. Too cute!! After she was done with the story (Shane and I were both surprised that he sat so patiently through it!) she gave him a candy cane and an apple ornament. We went back down to the store where Mrs. Claus brought out homemade donuts, cookies, and hot apple cider. She also gave us the picture she had take of us with Santa in a frame! Shane then went out and picked out our tree and wreath. When the kids get older we can do a cut-your-own, but it was too cold this year and they only have 12 footers left!
We had a great time decorating the tree and we've been spending the last week getting Oliver to stop trying to eat the ornaments (we have a Cheerio box ornament, a cookie ornament, and an apple ornament) First thing every morning he runs out to the living room and shouts "Dotty!??" Which is his word for lights, because he wants the Christmas tree lights on all the time! We've also been keeping an advent calendar that is a bunch of doors and there is a chocolate behind each day, so every morning at about 7 he starts shouting "Door! Door!" and by about 930 I relent and let him have his chocolate.

Getting ready for our tractor ride with Santa!

Thanks for the flattering shot, Santa...

Santa driving the tractorMrs. Claus reading The Night Before ChristmasOliver liked pointing out the kitty and doggy on each pageThe school house. Oliver got to pick an ornament off the tree!Lily waiting to decorate the treeOliver was beside himself with excitement! A tree! In our house! He just didn't know what to make of it!The wreath with my homemade bow. We hung it off of the porch, so you can see it from 155All the shots we took of the tree are blurry, but we love it! We couldn't put the tree topper on because the tree was too tall! We had to cut about 3 inches off just to make it fit! We put a wreath bow on top of the tree as a topper.s