4 Days Till Christmas

We went shopping today (Sage, Great Grandma and I). The mall was insanely busy. I had a gift certificate to See's and I really wanted to use it, so I waited the 30 minutes (or was it more?) to get my pound of chocolates. Everyone in line was in good spirits despite the long wait. I was surprised by this. Earlier in the week Sage and I went to Starbucks to get some gift cards and the barista was handing out free samples of Caramel Hot Cider. Sage's eyes got really big when she saw the whipped cream drizzled with caramel sauce. We sat and enjoyed our drink but Sage sort of freaked out when the whipped cream was gone. I said something about apple juice and she looked at me with eyes that screamed, "Why did you ruin my drink with juice? I don't want juice!!" I coaxed her into trying the cider and she took a few sips and then pushed it aside. The whipped cream was great though. Later in the week we took a trip to the zoo and rode the train for the first time. That was a real treat. So, Christmas is 4 days away and many things have been crossed off my checklist: buy presents, wrap presents, order, address and mail Christmas cards, go grocery shopping, remind Sage that Christmas is about Jesus, clean bathrooms. But still, some tasks remain: finish wrapping presents (okay, not totally finished), go to the store again (need more food), clean bedroom, clean kitchen, mop floor, wash all linens and towels, continue to remind Sage that Christmas is about Jesus, and get some sleep. Speaking of wrapping gifts, my sister-in-law did the neatest thing. Instead of using Christmas labels or Sharpie pens (like us) to label her gifts, she put a picture of the recipient on the top of the present. I LOVE this idea. The kids can pick out who gets what present. Genius. We were asked at church last Sunday what our favorite things about Christmas are. Gift giving is at the top of my list, followed by family time and food. I can't wait to see everyone open their gifts this year. I thought I was over counting down for Christmas but I can't help but feel a sense of excitement for the weekend events to come.