The Happ - Happiest Season Of All

After twelve long years with me, TG knows just how to get me out of the funk of missing my family. He took us all out to pick our Christmas tree the day after we got home. Last year we opted for a pre cut tree from a local farm market and the tree was completely dried out and dead within a week. So this year we decided to return to our favorite Christmas tree farm and cut down a fresh tree.

It was COLD, so we got all bundled up before we went up the hill.

We weren't going to last long out there so we quickly found a tree that everyone agreed on and TG got to work with the saw.

Half way through he needed a break. It's hard work being a lumberjack.

Towards the end he recruited the littles to help him out.

Good work crew.


Time to haul the tree down the hill.

Riley warmed up with hot cider while we waited for our tree to be tagged and bagged.

All tied up and ready to go! I should mention that this was the first year where I helped tie and the first year where we almost lost the tree on the drive home.

That night we strung the lights and hung the ornaments. It was a sight to behold.  TG and I both agreed it was one of our best picks.  I love nothing more than sitting with a warm blanket on the couch on a cold winter night in the light of the tree.

Elfie even visited the tree a time or two.


Later that month I had my annual craft cabin weekend.  After a weekend of painting, painting, painting and more painting I came home and discovered that Elfie brought these two a gingerbread house kit.  It was pre-built, bless that elf's heart, so all we had to do was decorate willy nilly style.


This holiday season was full of snow (14 snow days to be exact)!   It makes me so happy that we finally had a snowy winter - it is so hit or miss where we live.  Some years we get epic snow, like this past winter, and other years we've had nary a flake.  We had so many chances to play in the snow and go sledding.




Perhaps my favorite candid photo of 2013.


Lots of hot cocoa with plenty of marshmallows was enjoyed.

And several loaves of chocolate chip banana bread were baked.


Elfie got in on the fun and brought us chocolate chip cookie supplies!


Friends and family Christmas cards adorned our wall and made me smile every time I walked by.

We visited the Cox Farms market on a nicer day for plenty of fun and photo ops.

I love my favorite year round blessings.

This past holiday season I was a busy, busy woman with long days and even longer nights of painting. It makes me happy to look back now at all these photos and think of the happy moments we had amidst all the chaos.

Most of this holiday season the kids were just counting down to Christmas day.  This is just one of the notes that were left for Santa in the days leading up to his arrival. "Dear Santa, I got a blue today. Cam been good today too Santa." It melted my Momma heart to discover that she left a note for her brother so he wouldn't be forgotten.