Christmas 2009

Thanks to everyone in the family for all the Christmas gifts for James, believe it or not he played with all of them, took him a couple days to do it, but he did. He has been playing a Scooby Doo video game and is really getting good at it. He has already used most of his tattoos and completed his first 100 piece puzzle. He has been practicing with a plastic harmonica but I don’t think he quite has that down yet, but the dogs in the neighborhood love it. The picture to the right of this is James putting in the final piece of his 100 piece puzzle the day after Christmas.

Thanks again to all for making it such a great time for James. Special thanks to Aunt Peg, Aunt Chris, Uncle Bill, and Grandma for the wonderful gifts that they sent to James.
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Edited: December 28th, 2009

Christmas 2008

I remember as a child my mom would tell me stories about how their parents would keep the door to the workshop closed and locked before Christmas and they would hear them working on presents as Christmas got closer and closer. This year I thought about that as I snuck down stairs and spent several hours putting together all the wonderful gifts for James. So many had to be assembled that I felt like there really was a workshop in the house, although it was just me and a screwdriver for the most part.

James was completely surprised when he woke up and saw the living room filled with his toys already put together. It was a great moment for all of us. Thanks to all who sent us presents, as you can see they were very well received. Later on I took James to his Aunt Pegs to check out the Christmas display she made. A very memorable Christmas for sure.
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Edited: December 25th, 2008

Christmas in Colon 2008

What a blast we had in Colon this Christmas, a very cold and snowy day, tents were set up with hot cocoa and cookies, a small petting zoo, a Santa parade with Santa ending up in the library where the kids could make Christmas crafts. The celebration ended with a free magic show at Abbotts. A very traditional Christmas celebration, how refreshing. Although the weather was very cold, we went home with a warm fuzzy feeling from the events of the day.
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Edited: December 10th, 2008

Christmas 2007

Most of the snow had been washed away with a rain, so we replaced the snowman who had melted with a Tony Stewart race car inflatable decoration which we got on Ebay at the last minute. Lots and lots of presents waiting for James this day, thanks to all the relatives who helped make this day possible. I don’t think James didn’t like anything, he even liked the toothbrush Mom and Dad got him.

So we did have a semi white Christmas after all, just not as white as I remember them as a kid.
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Edited: December 25th, 2007

Christmas at Frankenmuth 2007

We try to get to Bronners at least once a year, usually when we are coming back from a trip to Mackinaw or around Christmas time. Bronners is the largest Christmas store in the world and Frankenmuth is well known for its hospitality as a resort town. A trip to Frankenmuth during the Christmas season is well worth while and you will be shocked by all the decorations and how well lit up the city is. Frankenmuth also has one of the last covered wooden bridges in Michigan that you can either walk through or drive a car through.
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Edited: December 23rd, 2007

White Christmas 2007

This year we were hoping for a white Christmas and it looked like we were going to get a really white Christmas. We got hammered with snow on December 17th, my birthday no less. James had to help shovel the snow because there was so much, and afterward we put together a snowman from a kit his Aunt Peg had gotten him a while bit. They kit came with everything except the snow, and mother nature provided plenty of that.

This would be James first snowman, and we had a ball putting him together. He lasted for about a week until a rain washed away most of the snow right before Christmas. The house really looked good with the now and the decorations, especially at night.
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Edited: December 17th, 2007

Christmas 2006

This was the first time James snuck into one of his gifts early. However in the years following it will be a constant battle keeping him out of his Christmas gifts. James was just beginning to string words into sentences and sometimes you would hear the strangest sentences imaginable, but thats growing up I suppose. We spent Christmas Eve going around the neighborhood looking at Christmas decorations with Aunt Peg. I think James got more presents this year than any other year, perhaps more than any other child as well. Hopefully he doesn’t become spoiled, he’s a pretty good kid though and seems just as happy playing football with dad as he does the fanciest toys, although I may have some competition with the new car he got. Thanks again to all his Aunts and relatives for helping to make this a fun day.
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Edited: December 25th, 2006

Christmas 2006 Huggums Dolls

Right before Christmas the family received a surprise from Mary’s mom, Huggum dolls that she played with as a child were sent to us so naturally we had fun taking pics of the dolls with the rest of the family. They were sent to us Fed Ex and arrived safe and sound. This has been a tradition in Mary’s house for many years and the dolls do class up the place if I must say so myself. James was curious about them, wondering if they were playtoys or not, but Mom assured him they were not his to play with but rather family heirlooms to be passed on from generation to generation.
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Edited: December 18th, 2006

Canterbury Village 2006

This is a popular stop for us on the way home from Mackinaw. Its only an hour away from our home so its well within striking distance anytime we want. This was fun for James because its almost all toys and Christmas at Canterbury, all throughout the year. Lots of craft shops as well but primarily the theme is Christmas. While not as big a Bronners, its a little more elegant and has an animated nursery tale that simply fascinated James to no end.

Remember it is a Christmas village and it can get pretty crowded in December, but you can have the place pretty much to yourself in the summer.
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Edited: May 29th, 2006

Christmas 2005

We bought our first inflatable Christmas decoration since Homer Simpson was stolen from outside our house. That happened before James was born. We tried it out in the living room and James just loved it, watching the little styrofoam snow pellets whiz all around the globe. Right before Christmas we went into a nursery and they were selling a big animated Santa with 2 elves for about 75% off (it was the last day before Christmas that they were open and they said they did not want to store it) so we picked that up as well.
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Edited: December 25th, 2005