The Desantafication Process has Begun!

Our tradition at our house isn't to take the Christmas tree down until the morning after New Year's Day. We do this just because the week after Christmas, it is nice to have it up - and plus it keeps the house nice on New Year's Eve.

BUT, some of the other decorations are getting put away now - it's a long process, actually. Looking around the neighborhood, it's amazing how many Christmas decorations go up in yards and on rooftops. So much work!

The after-Christmas blues used to be pretty tough for Daddy a while back: January used to be a spectacularly dull sort of month. But when we first started dreaming of being with Madison, we started to use that month to celebrate the Chinese New Year in. We decorated the house with Chinese decor, watched the "Mulan" movies - or other themed movies too. Suddenly, January wasn't so bad! Of course, nothing beats the magic of December. But January certainly isn't a dull month anymore. Speaking of which, we've got a great new series at KidPak next month: Daddy has been busy working towards our new series at KidPak, called "Spy Games." January will be a lot of fun for the kids!

We've got a "Get Smart" sort of thing going on, but throw in a little "Spy Kids" and a tiny bit of James Bond. The research has been fun, watching spy movies and such - tomorrow we'll work on a bit more of the set, costumes and a lot of the video material. Lots of work to do towards that end, but this is a fun series that everyone enjoys.

The Christmas snow is still on the ground, which is nice. But it also serves to illustrate that it has been pretty chilly this week. It's the kind of weather that you're reluctant to even try going outside in - you sort of have to force yourself to make an effort.

Madison is watching the Peter Pan movies lately, including right now. That's a preview of something to come in January. Actually, January has another surprise in store as well. We're going to Neverland later on in the month, but in just a few short weeks, Madison is once again going to meet... Belle!