Christmas is Coming!

My daughter got home from college on Friday, and she is leading the way in getting ready for Christmas. We did a shop-until-you-drop trip to the mall on Saturday, and she managed to find something for almost everyone on her list. The rest we took care of on Amazon and Zappos yesterday.

While I was out running more mundane errands (Target, Giant) yesterday, she and my husband put up our tree:

As much as I enjoy decorating the tree, it was nice to come home to most of the work being done–they left me a few of my special ornaments to put on and I may spend a few days assessing and rearranging and deciding if we need a few more.

While I attended to baking cupcakes for my husband’s birthday, my daughter continued her Santa work by wrapping all of the presents. Mine are still stashed in various closets, drawers and other nooks around the house!

My daughter and I went through some rough times during her early high school years, and back then it would have been hard to imagine spending time together like we did this weekend. Now we can bake together, shop together, and just chat. We still step on each other’s toes and push each other’s buttons once in a while, but we are able to step back, let go, and move on. I was really looking forward to her coming home, because I knew she would drag us all out of our ruts and get us into the Christmas spirit, and I am enjoying–and drawing on–her energy as we count down to Christmas Eve.