We have two girls age (almost) 10 and 7. They are into this whole Christmas thing, they understand the experience and know what to expect.  They have enough Decembers under their belt to be well and truly prepared and while it is still filled with excitement, it isn’t “new”

But for our little dude, who just turned 4, this year it is a whole new deal. Memories and traditions are just starting to stick for him, and that means everything we are doing right now is pure magic.

He has heard about “Santa” but never actually met the big guy (in real life).  He has seen pictures of us decorating our tree last year, but doesn’t have the memories of his 3yr old self participating (and in truth he was probably stuck into the cookie plate at the time)

And “getting a tree” here has it’s own awesome-ness to it!  Check out the “farm stand” where we choose our Christmas tree (a little bit different than the big city lots we are used to)

And last night, as we brought our tree into the house, and Dad let him pull it, his biggest concern was “Are you SURE it’s ok to have a tree in the house Dad?”

And the excitement he had over the boxes (and boxes) of ornaments and decorations, and his first (remembered) real life encounter with a stocking.

And then when Dad put on Polar Express and our little dude watched it for “his” first time, the magic hit home. He squealed when he saw Santa, and as we lay snuggling him at bedtime you could hear the awe in his words as he said “I want a bell from Santa this year too”

And then, of course, there is his introduction to the Sears Wish Book. He was the only one home when it came this year and had “first crack” at it before his sisters. His imagination soared with possibilities, and not only where we able to look at all the amazing ideas, but could also talk about how Santa only brings “one special gift”

Of course that didn’t stop him from circling his fave items with a big black marker (so we could see). Hopefully we can get him to narrow it down a bit so we can actually make his dream come true Christmas morning.

It is a magical season, and sometimes having these little ones around us, participating in our yearly traditions refreshes them and brings a new life to routine. For our girls, seeing how excited their little brother is- ALL THE TIME – builds the excitement in them as well.

We have (eek) 20 days ahead of us, ready to be filled with special moments as our little dude learns our Holiday traditions and gets filled with the spirit of Christmas.  Lists to make, and gifts to wrap, and memories to make.

And I can NOT wait until he walks down those stairs on Christmas morning and I see the magic in his eyes as he see’s his stocking filled and a gift from Santa Claus waiting for him.

Kind of makes me believe a little bit as well.

And to help you make even more magic, Sears is also hosting an amazing contest on right now called the Sears Wishes of Joy Contest on now until December 15 where entrants can SHARE their wish lists (to win!) PLUS many more opportunities to win up to $10,000 in prizes.

I can only imagine what kind of Christmas morning winning that contest would bring!  Check it out, and enter via the link! You never know… it IS a magical time of year!