holiday cheer: christmas playlist

As you look forward to Christmas, I hope that it's a joyful season for you and your family. If you need help getting into the holiday spirit, I guarantee that these songs will help.

1. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Sufjan Stevens
2. Patapan/O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Mindy Gledhill
3. Winter Song by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson
4. Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band
5. Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors
6. Silent Night by Priscilla Ahn
7. Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis
8. This Holiday by Brooke Annibale
9. Angels We Have Heard on High by Sixpence None The Richer
10. Another December by Holley Maher

These songs will be a great backdrop to any upcoming gathering you might be hosting and I've put them together in this handy Spotify playlist for you in order to make it really easy for you to enjoy them. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. If this playlist doesn't help, listen to Do You Hear What I Hear? by Whitney Houston. That song is a quintessential favorite and if it doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit, you're destined to be a Scrooge all season. Just sayin'.

holiday cheer: stocking stuffers

Everyone, it is Christmas week! Can you believe it? I have had so much fun shopping for the kids this year. Elia is at a great age where she is starting to understand the true story of Christmas and that this is a very special season. We went to visit Santa a few weeks ago and before that visit I asked her what she was going to ask Santa to bring her. She told me, "Angels and... Baby Jesuses." Sweet girl, that just warmed my heart.

Throughout the season, we will continue to share the good news that Baby Jesus has already come and that he wouldn't have fit in her stocking anyway. A few years ago, we went back and forth about whether or not we would be a family who "does" Santa and in the end decided we would. Opening stockings is one of my favorite traditions and I just love shopping for them. The best part is that you can fit great, inexpensive gifts for kids in their stockings.

If you're still looking for a few suggestions for your kids, here's a peek at what our kids are getting in their stockings this year. Thankfully, they're still too little to read the blog so no surprises ruined here! Many of these stocking stuffers are available on Amazon so if take advantage of your Prime account they can still get here before Christmas Eve.

wells: month six

This week was Wells' half birthday.

He's getting so big and I just want to hold on to his baby-ness as long as possible. At night, when I go in to check on him before I go to bed, instead of quickly tiptoeing in and making sure not to disturb him, I've been picking him up and holding him tight for just a few seconds, just trying to soak him in while he's still a baby.