Deck the Halls

Tomorrow, we're expecting some very important visitors - Madison's grandparents!  Mommy's parents are coming up from Florida, so we decided to deck the halls a bit.  Now, the biggest part of decking any hall would be putting up a tree.  So Daddy and Madison set out to decorating the Christmas tree, and Madison got right into it!  We had plugged in "Beauty and the Beast:  Enchanted Christmas" and set ourselves to work.  The first ornament up was Remy from Ratatouille, and the rest just fell into place.  It's a long process, as we have many, many ornaments.  Madison put up a harp, then the Snowman from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  It's a rather eclectic tree, certainly - but it has things on it that remind us of exciting chapters of our lives.  For example, there are several ornaments on our tree from China that were purchased in Guangzhou while we were there with Madison.  Some were bought right there in Nanning, the city where we first met Madison.  Other ornaments come from our trips to Disney or elsewhere.  Madison's first ornament is on the tree, a Winnie the Pooh.  Daddy has quite a few Star Wars ornaments on the tree, and there's even a Kung Fu Panda ornament as well.  The list could easily go on and on - we have a zillion ornaments that are as new as last year (Godzilla!), or as old as decades ago.  Some of the oldest ones look like they are from the 1950's!  Daddy's a big retro-ornament fan.

     Speaking of "retro," while decorating, we also plugged in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,  which Madison immediately stopped everything to watch.  There's something about Snoopy that captivates all of us.  Seriously:  Beauty and the Beast's Christmas was okay, but when Snoopy came on, all productivity stopped.  Madison thought Snoopy fighting with a lawn chair was hilarious, but she loved everything about the entire Thanksgiving dinner with popcorn and buttered toast.  We'll be sure to show it a few more times before Thursday, as the DVD also has an episode on it that tells the Thanksgiving story very well.  Between that and reading "Off to Plymouth Rock," I feel that Madison is learning something about the day.  Just wait until Thursday though!  Actually, we're all excited about Thanksgiving.  It's a great holiday, and we're happy to have the grandparents with us for a bit.

     Before bedtime, the tree was nearly done.  All that remains is the topper.  After Madison went to sleep, Mommy and Daddy finished decorating somewhat - but found ourselves watching the Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol," which is quite good.  We'll have to put the top on the tree tomorrow!

     Just before bed, Madison has continued a joke that ran all day.  Basically, it is pretty simple: 

MADISON:  "Dadda?"

DADDY:  "Yes, Madison.  What is it?"

MADISON:  "Mamma!"

DADDY: "No!"

MADISON:  "Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

DADDY:  "No, I'm not the Mamma.  I'm the Dadda!"

MADISON:  "Dadda."

DADDY: "Yes.  That's right."

MADISON:  "Dadda?"

DADDY: "Yes?"

MADISON:  "Mamma!"

DADDY: "Nooooo!"

MADISON:  "Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

     And so on.  What was funny is hearing her laugh each time.  She knew I was the Daddy, but was having fun calling me something else!  Anyway, it was a fun day yet again - despite the rain.  Outside it was cold and wet, but inside we were warm and merry.  The Holiday season is here, and there's not a humbug in sight!