Christmas {Some Photos by Ellie.}

Despite minimal time off to prepare, we had a fantastic Christmas.

Christmas Eve, Ellie was still a bit under the weather and I spent the morning in the kitchen doing the prep work for Christmas dinner - cutting veggies, slicing apples for pie, and making a lasagna for Christmas Eve.  Ellie was an angel in the church pageant.  In dress rehearsal, she was a lost angel.  In the real service, she was asleep.

But she was adorable and the rest of the angels got to proclaim "Glory to God in the highest!"

We came home to eat dinner and get ready for Santa's arrival.  Ellie left cookies for Santa.  I tried to convince her to leave carrots for the reindeer.  Nope.  What about just for Rudolph?  (She loves Rudolph, but maybe just didn't realize the other reindeer were coming?)  Nope.  Finally, she grabbed one of those plastic candy canes full of M&Ms and proclaimed "THIS is for Rudolph."  Apparently, Rudolph only eats chocolate.

Rudolph gets m and ms!!!!

A video posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:37pm PST

Cookies only for Santa. "Does Rudolph want a carrot?" "No!" "What does he want?" "This!" "M and ms?" "Yes! M and ms for Rudolph!"

A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:32pm PST

Rudolph and Santa left a thank you note.  Christmas morning featured a whole lot of gifts for a certain little girl who is very loved by her entire extended family.  Santa brought a guitar and Mommy and Daddy bought her a camera.  Santa was pretty stoked with the $30 deal he found on zulily a couple months ago.  It's a bit too big for Ellie but she loves it and it looks like Daddy's guitar.  And it's quieter than a piano or drums.

Ellie and I went on our first photo walk together on an unseasonably warm day.  She learned some guitar basics with Daddy.  She wore her new boots and new hoodie.

Here are some highlights of her first photo walk.

My new Facebook profile pic!  Photo credit: Ellie.

Photo credit: Ellie.

Photo credit: Ellie.

Reindeer antler closeup.  Photo credit: Ellie.

I crouch down for a lot of shots, because my subject is often a very short three year old girl.  When that three year old girl got out her camera, she crouched too, making her perspective even lower.

For dinner, we hosted our friends Kelly and Kyle and their two kids.  We did a turkey breast, cranberries, mashed potatoes, pie, rolls, lots and lots of cookies.  I love an excuse to use my grandmother's silverware and our good china.

Putting this away and posting for my aunts.

A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:34pm PST

A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Dec 12, 2014 at 4:35pm PST

The kids table was a little less breakable.

Setting the kids table.

A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Dec 12, 2014 at 10:19am PST

And perhaps the strangest Christmas miracle of all?  Ellie slept until 6:15 this morning.

Contrary to popular culture, the Christmas season has now begun.  We still have twelve days to celebrate now that Advent is over.  Enjoy this season, my friends.

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