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^{Posted by: DrMommyKC}

No sooner had we cleared off the table from our Thanksgiving feast that I started to think about putting up the Christmas Tree. We're lame and have an artificial tree- but it's PURDY.

A few years ago, I saw it as a floor model at a department store and fell in love with it. I wanted to buy it but it was the last one in stock...so they let me buy the floor model!

I kid you not, but the salesman helping me was possibly a pygmy, and so nice, he helped me box it up and brought it to my car. I was convinced he was sent by Santa as an angel-elf to give us our tree!

I took advantage of the extra man power around this past weekend from having family stay with us to have that tree put up faster than you can say "Nutcracker". By Saturday morning, all of our ornaments were adorning the tree and having it lit up and spectacular gives the house such a warm, joyous glow. (This is why our tree stays up FAR LONGER than appropriate - it's hard to say goodbye to it once the holidays are over.)

We also bought some energy-efficient LED white lights to string up around our banister for more Christmas light festivities. It was serious family QT as we strung them up together and let Jolie bask in the full effect of seeing the lights turn on in a darkened house. Fun! Christmas lights!

Meanwhile, I've been finding myself compelled to sing Christmas carols and winter songs A LOT. All of these songs are new to Jolie (not remembering them from last year) and she's really been tickled by some of them like Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, and Frosty the Snowman. She requests these by saying "horse" or "man".

I love Christmas time.

Now that Jolie is 2 1/2, she really gets it this year, and I hope that she too can experience the wonderful, giving spirit of the holidays. The songs, trees and lights help- this is clearly supposed to be a magical, fun time with wonder and warmth. But I also hope we can start to impress upon her how much the sharing of joy with others is part of this holiday too.

This past weekend, I pulled up at a light with the family with me in the car and saw a woman walking around, asking for change. It was cold outside and she looked like she had been weathering the wind. I rolled down the window and dropped in some money.

"What you doing, mommy?" Jolie asked.

"That woman doesn't have enough money, baby. Some people don't have money to buy things. We're lucky we have money and can buy things like food and clothes."

"No money to buy things?"

"No, honey."

It's a start.