We decorated for Christmas yesterday. Is that ridiculous, or what?

Now we've got our tree, the little NOEL train, nutcrackers, gingerbread picture frames with baby and family pictures in them, reindeer stuffed in nooks and crannies, advent calendars hung...

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I will say, in our defense, that a) we had the time yesterday! and b) we're going to be gone for Christmas. So when the kids are begging for it -- and they're already writing fancy letters to Santa -- I figure it's ok to give in.

We re-arranged the furniture according to Dane's plans. The other morning before school he drew up a floorplan of how the living room should be arranged to accommodate the tree. It looked eerily identical to last year's arrangement, and when my other attempts at arranging the room didn't work out, he was smug and sweet on his success. I've saved the floorplan.

This morning the kids each got up at 6 and rolled a blanket up for a pillow under the tree and laid down under it on their backs listening to Raffi's Christmas album.

This week they're going to write letters to Santa explaining that they won't be in Marin City this Christmas, that they'll be at Mema and Poppa's. They'll remind him of the Puyallup address, but I assured them he's been there before.