OH, CHRISTMAS TREE! OH, CHRISTMAS TREE!

On Monday for FHE we put up our Christmas tree. The kids had been asking about it all day, and were so excited about it. As soon as Kev walked in the door and we had dinner the festivities began. The Christmas decorations I brought with us are few and far between, but we did bring the tree and all the ornaments (the kids don't seem to notice all the other "cutsie" stuff is missing). Every year the kids get to pick a new ornament for the tree (the thought is that when they get married they will have a whole box of ornaments to take with them), this year Madi picked a red ball with gold glitter on it, Cooper picked a glass snowman with snow inside, and I picked a cute little giraffe on wheels for Rylee.

The only mishap we had was that the top of the tree didn't light up. Kev jimmy rigged it to work and we were in business until the fuse popped on the converter. (Kev thinks he just needs to buy a new one.) Maybe we won't be able to plug in the tree after all. Which seems okay to me because it gets dark around 8:00 and the kids are already in bed by then anyway. It was a little strange to be decorating the tree with the kids in their shorts and the weather so warm outside. I know I have said this often, but my brain is having a hard time believing it is Christmas time. Cooper said he is sad because he likes to eat snow and he won't get to here. I told him we could shave some ice and then he could eat it - he didn't think that was a good idea either (not the same I suppose).

While decorating the tree we listened to a little Christmas music and we have found a really fun book here which has a Aussie version of Jingle Bells. It came with a CD so we can listen to it as well. The kids think it is a hoot. I am going to share the words with you because it is so funny:

AUSSIE JINGLE BELLS

by: Colin Buchanan

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden ute,

Kicking up the dust, esky in the boot.

Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs,

It's summertime and I am in my singlet, shorts, and thongs.

chorus:

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!

Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day, hey!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!

Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.

Engines's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos,

The swaggie climbs aboard - he is welcome too.

All the family's there, sitting by the pool,
Christmas Day the Aussie way, by the barbecue.

chorus

Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go; we take a family snap,
Pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing-up.

chorus

some of the words you may need translating are:

ute - truck (not the football team that lost the big game)
esky - I think it is a cooler
boot - trunk (or back of the truck in this case)
singlet - tank top
thongs - flip flops (not underwear)
swaggie - I am not really sure (any Aussies can help with this one)
snap - picture

This year we sent home the Night Before an Aussie Christmas to the grandparents - next year we will have to send this book. Then you can all learn an Aussie song!

When the tree was all finished I was telling the kids about what we used to do growing up when the tree was all decorated. I can remember turning on the tree lights and all the others were turned off (except the strand of lights for the nativity on the fireplace mantle). We would lay on our backs with our heads under the tree and out feet sticking out and count all of the candy canes, while listening and singing Oakridge Boys Christmas. Last year at Tai Pan I bought some wooden candy canes to hang on the tree to keep that tradition alive in my family. (I don't like hanging the real ones because they never get eaten and we have them forever afterwards.) So after taking a few pictures Kev took Rylee off to have a bath and Cooper, Madi, and I got under the tree and tried to count candy canes and we sang Christmas songs. It was a fun moment for me. Too bad Kev missed it and no pictures were taken - but that is okay. I love Christmas because of the traditions. They stick with you a lifetime and then they get passed on to last another lifetime as well!

After decorating the tree we got out the Little People Nativity Set and Kev told the kids the Christmas story. We reminded the kids that they get three gifts from Santa just like Jesus got three gifts from the 3 wise men. Every year I am more impressed by my children and how much the soak up the Gospel and how much they remember of the story of the birth of Christ. I just love this time of year. You get to talk about the birth of the Savior for a whole month! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!