19 Dec, 2009
25 days of Christmas: days 13 – 19
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa
Ha. Look what I found!
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I can’t believe I’m writing about a week’s worth of activities in one post. It’s been a busy week my friends. And Christmas is NEXT WEEK. Why does it sneak up on me every year?
Day 13 – “Decorate the tree.” The tree we bought at Ikea was tightly bound, they always are, so you never know what you’re getting. But we’ve been buying our trees here since our “old” Christmas tree lot (run by the Kiwanis) went under and we’ve never been disappointed. I think this year’s tree is the best one yet. He’s short and chubby.
Day 14 – I baked these easy bars (subbing almonds for pecans because I was out) for “Dessert before Dinner.”
Day 15 – “Visit Santa at the mall.” Surprisingly we didn’t have to stand in a long line up. The family in front of us had a little boy who would not crack a smile, at least, not until he got a candy cane and a parting gift, but by that time the pressure was off. Ha! So cute!
Day 16 – I had an event I had to attend in the evening so Mark and the girls had a their own “game night” around the tree. They played Operation, Connect Four, and Trouble (I love that game) and ate popcorn, of course.
Day 17 – “Paper snowflakes to decorate the windows.” I wasn’t sure if the girls would be into this, but it kept them occupied for a solid hour while I made dinner (although I made a snowflake too… how I could I not?) Now if we could only find the scotch tape… hmm. I think I’m going to need it at some point.
Day 18 – We were invited to an afterschool cookie decorating party. The kids decorated and ate piles of cookies and then retired to watch a movie while the grownups drank wine, ate meatballs and cheese, and chatted. Wow. Did I have fun. Afterwards we drove to Taffy Lane in Orleans to check out the Christmas lights. (Taffy Lane is a regular residential street – albeit with a sweet name – whose residents go crazy with the Christmas decorations.) It was great, a real hoot. The kids loved it, but now they want us to decorate our house like that too. Ha! Go ask your dad.
I didn’t bring my camera (because if I did I’d have no choice but to bring my tripod and all of my gear and I really wasn’t up to that) so the pictures here are shot-with-the-phone-from-out-of-a-moving-car pictures. It will have to do!
After two turns around Taffy Lane, we drove downtown and past Parliament Hill to see the lights there too. (Too cold to get out of the car though!) They were nice, but not nearly as fun as Taffy Lane. :)
Day 19 (today) – UNPLANNED and so far, activity free. It’s too cold (for me) to do anything outdoors. I need to think of something, stat.
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This post is part of the 25 days of Christmas challenge. It’s never too late to play along! You can check out the Flickr group too.
