December days.

There seems to be a trend these days of life going by way too fast.

December has been no exception.

Now Christmas is just days away and 2015 is around the corner.

We kicked off our holly jolly Christmas by picking out the perfect Christmas tree at a local tree lot. Professionals tied it on our roof this time around, so Chris and I didn't have to climb through our car windows. We took it home and gave it a prime spot in our living room. We've been decorating and undecorating and redecorating it ever since, in various states of dress and undress.

We've been decking our halls. We are so excited to be spending our first Christmas in our first house. Lights, wreaths, and stockings have been hung. We have had a wonderfully mild December, so Chris was able to get up on the roof after we returned from Thanksgiving and put lights up. After about a minute on the roof he grumbled, "Now I know why my dad hated doing this so much." He was nice to do it for me, because our first year in a house could not pass without lights lining the roof. Our home feels so cozy and festive. The presents under the tree are frequently explored and inspected, and occasionally used as building blocks.

The second weekend in December we headed down to the Tri-Cities area for my aunts wedding. The day before the wedding we met up with our dear Michigan friends who live in the area. It was so fun to see Cameron and Camilla and their sweet girls after exactly two years apart. We joked with them when they moved that we would follow them to the PNW, and it is pretty great that it actually happened. After torturing our Red Robin waitress with five small children and four chatty parents, we headed to see my running buddy Jessica and her kids in her new house. After the years of schooling, it is wonderful (and crazy) that we now where we always talked about wanting to be. Friday night we stayed at a hotel, went swimming, had a picnic dinner, and collapsed exhausted into bed.

Saturday morning was wedding day. It was a warm and sunny day, and my aunt, Janell, and her new husband Mickael were incredibly beautiful. It was so fun to be there, to see family, and to take my kids to my grandparents house for the first time. It was a quick visit, but hopefully we can return soon. I have so many wonderful childhood memories in that house. It was a fun family weekend getaway, and the kids slept the whole way home.

The rest of our December days have been filled with general Christmas cheer. Lots of hanging out in Christmas jammies, or swimsuits, and reading Christmas books, watching Christmas movies, and doing Christmas projects. We have been the benefactors of anonymous friends doing the "12 Days of Christmas." Every night we get a new surprise on our door. I applaud their endurance, as it makes me tired just thinking about it. But they have supplied me with several crafts for the kids, decorations, tinsel the kids put on the tree, and a star-shaped basket that perfectly fit my most-played Christmas CD's. Our December wouldn't have been nearly as Christmasy without them.

We had some friends over for our graham cracker house building get-together. Quinn requested a beach, which was perfectly two-dimensional. The winner of the night, however, was probably Hogwarts, complete with Hagrid's hut, womping willow, and the giant squid in The Great Lake. One tradition that I was sad didn't work out this year was going to the Nutcracker. It is one of my favorite parts of Christmas time, but the only production in our little town was on a Sunday. I'll have to work harder to find one nearby next year. But I did manage to take ballet-obsessed Quinn on a mommy-daughter date to the local ballet company's winter recital. Quinn was absolutely mesmerized by the whole thing and was talking excitedly the whole time. One-on-one time is pretty rare right now, so it was so sweet to share that with her.

But one of my favorite little moments this year came last week during our Family Home Evening. We watched the video The Coat, which brings me to tears all the time. It is perfect for kids, and during it our three had very concerned faces, Quinn in particular. We talked about how a lot of people don't have as much as we do, and headed to the store to pick out toys to donate to a local charity. Quinn picked out a puppy that wiggled and barked when you tickled its chin. She loved that puppy. When it was time to give it away, she held on tight with the saddest little eyes, begging me to keep it. I reminded her about the boy who didn't have a coat, and told her how some kids don't have presents under their tree like she does. She thought for a minute, then placed the puppy in the donation basket with a big proud smile on her face. We are imperfect parents, but I pray we can teach our kids to feel the happiness that comes with thinking outside yourself and giving to others.

Carly had a fun-filled December at school. I appreciated the way her school handled the holidays. In Michigan, Carly had a generic "Winter Holiday Party" which I understood as trying to be politically correct. But instead of pretending all these holidays don't exist, Carly's school embraced the diversity. They talked about different countries and cultures and how they celebrate. They made it a learning opportunity so the kids could understand and appreciate differences in one another. During the month they celebrated the festival of St. Nicholas and St. Lucia, lit a Menorah, learned the words to Feliz Navidad, and rode the Polar Express in their pajamas. I don't expect schools to teach my child about the birth of Christ, that is my responsibility, but I loved that instead of banishing all, they embraced all.   

Our last festivity before the main event was a cruise to the North Pole. We headed to Couer d'Alene and took a boat to see Santa and a holiday light display. It was a fun adventure for the kids, and we had a great time as a family, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Chris and I joked that it reminded us a little too much of the "booze cruise" episode of the Office. That being said, watching the sun set on the water and hearing our kids squeal as their names were read off the "Nice List" made it pretty sweet. And Carly declared it "the best day of my whole life", so we'll call it a success.

We are ready for Santa. Quinn has been traumatized by Santa a few times. He came to our ward Christmas party and we've seen him driving through neighborhoods twice, and each time she sadly asks why he hasn't brought her Sophia dress yet. Now Christmas Eve is almost here, and if the sparkles all over my closet are any indication, she'll be getting that longed-for Sophia dress.

This season has gone by too quickly. I'm not ready for it to be over, not ready to surrender my Celine Dion Christmas CD, not ready to take down the tree. We'll be soaking up every minute of this week. Because it really is the most wonderful time of the year.