Getting to Christmas!

Hi, everyone!

Our Christmas tree stayed in the garage until two weeks ago. That Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa brought it in and set it up in the living room.

I helped unbale the tree while my pride watched. Then we helped pick which color of light bulb went in every socket when Grandpa put the light strings on. I always stay up with my new tree friend the night it comes into the house, and my pride stayed up with me.

The next day was Tuba Christmas! I was excited to take my pride to see it for the very first time! Grandma went early to get the special seats for Uncle Steven’s family. We all helped save seats until they arrived! We watched the players gather on stage. When Santa arrived, Grandma took us down to meet him! Someone brought a Santa tuba mascot along!

I always like to see how players decorate their tubas and baritones for Tuba Christmas. The sousaphone players even use lights! One of the sousaphone players dressed as the elf on the shelf. The sound of the low brass playing reminds me of lots of lions roaring together.

Because we went to Tuba Christmas after church, Grandma didn’t start putting ornaments on the tree until Monday. It took all day! My pride helped me put my favorite Moose ornament on. It goes in the same spot every year!

The end of last week, we had several days when the temperature was above freezing. All the snow melted. Grandma was hoping the town would come to pick up the final leaf pile, and they did! That was really helpful, because our annual stollen party was the next day. Nobody could park in front of our house with the leaf pile there!

Monday also started the last week of the reverse Advent calendar. Grandma has been taking each week’s items to church on Sunday, because there was so much to take from three little lions! On Monday, I also helped Grandma make her annual flower arrangement with holly we prune from our bushes.

Last Tuesday was our stollen party! Grandma let me sleep in while she made three full batches of stollen dough. I got up in time to help cut the wedges of risen dough to shape into Christmas trees. We made 36 this year! Some of my favorite people came to have soup and choose a stollen to take home with them. This was another new event for my pride.

On Christmas eve, I helped Grandma pack up the final reverse Advent calendar food items to take to church. James and Thomas both had parts in the 5 p.m. family service. On Christmas Day, Uncle Steven’s family came over after lunch to open presents. Joe-san came, too! We Facetimed Uncle David’s family, so we could all open presents together. Thomas, James and Uncle Steven all got custom batches of party mix that Grandma and I made. Aunt Kara got chocolate, instead. There were lots of presents to open! We used the reverse Advent calendar basket to catch all the wrappings. That was an easier target than the paper bag we used to use! After all the presents were opened, James sat down at the piano to play for us.

We didn’t have a white Christmas, because all the snow we’d had melted! Today, it’s snowing again! The weather forecasts on television said we might get six inches of new snow today! I’m glad to be inside!

Love,

Lion-san