We tried hard this year to have a very small-scale Christmas. Henry and Emma, who have no shortage of “stuff” already, don’t necessarily need a whole bunch more so we limited our gift giving and tried to focus a bit more on the “spirit” than the “stuff.”

I admit, though, that it took me a little more effort to get into the mood than the rest of the household. Just a week before Christmas I still hadn’t gotten a tree. I think with Christmas promotion starting in October now I was done with trees by December :)

Marla, Emma and Henry gave me a kick in the pants, though, and got a late season deal on a tree at Lowes. Just $5! You can’t beat that.

Our focus on small worked! The kids had a blast and we weren’t overwhelmed with new junk but rather things the kids were genuinely interested in or needed (clothes). Enjoy the pictures – we had fun taking them.