Just as in Kansas, it came just the same.
It came with ribbons. It came with tags.
It came with packages, boxes, and bags.
And while I'm misquoting the Grinch...an Advent Calendar.
It came with our elf Kirby on the 1st. And then he left with Santa some time Christmas Eve.
It came with theatrical tree preparation.
It came with an ornament from someone's discarded things, an ornament from the year I was born. An ornament from my youth that I now once again own.
It came in the form of bells that I added on twine.
It came in a box of See's Candy. A company that really, seriously needs to mark their candies. Otherwise, someone with a coconut allergy might incidentally eat something they shouldn't.
And on the 20th, it came to her classroom early in the form of Secret Santa.
It came with goody bags for our classmates and teachers.
It came with Elf on the Shelf cake.
It came with curious cats. A cat that miraculously never climbed the tree. Or played with ornaments. Or damaged anything. And yes, I know I better knock on some wood.
It came with Christmas cards, including this one that didn't get postmarked.
It came with Gingerbread Manors.
And a dog that didn't care.
It came with an eclectic mixture of cookie cutters.
And the coolest variety of cookies Santa has ever seen.
Without an apron this year.
It came with our tradition of watching Gremlins as our Christmas movie. Yes, I'm serious. The Redhead's choice.
It came with her opening her traditional package.
It came with reading a bedtime story. Or two.
It came with remembering carrots for the reindeer.
The man in the produce section at Safeway applauded The Redhead's choices of the perfect carrots.
It came with our amazing tree, the live Douglas Fir tree we bought at Save Mart for $19.95 (yes, I'm serious!!!).
And all the beautiful ornaments we've accrued over the years, as well as the ones we made this year- a combination of chalkboard ornaments, cinnamon ones, and oranges.
It came with our old stockings, since I never got around to making the new ones I drew up.
It came with a letter from Santa.
It came with bright eyes and excitement on Christmas morn.
And other special gifts from The Redhead, picked out with love.
It came with a fervor and enthusiasm only the wee ones are capable of.
It came with Ninja Turtle candy canes.
It came with opening presents via FaceTime.
It came with an unintentional rhyme.
It came with our fondest friends.
It came with a TBS trend.
It came with a plethora of Monster High dolls, strung all over our floor.
It came with the cat who liked walking through the door.
It came with Headbanz.
It came with Squishy Baff.
It came with the office closet no longer looking like a puppet theatre, and actually being opened the entire way. (At some point, they turned that room's closet into a hall closet, but we wanted it back into a room closet. However, the boards used to block it were quite thick, so Mister Man cut it as far as what looked like a window. I referred to it as the puppet theatre. It was also a safe haven for poinsettias.) Oh, and that cord in the picture has no purpose. Seriously. It's not even live.
It came with putting our dresser together from Mister Man's parents. With the help of the cat, of course.
And yes, I realize I stopped rhyming.
It came with playing with all the new toys.
So here we are, wrapping up Christmas and the end of 2013, complaining about the fireworks that have been going off since before 6 pm, scaring our large furry beast and the cat tremendously.
And that's how Christmas went. The whole month of it.
