Tradition is as tradition does.

Getting into the Christmas Season here in the Valley of the Sun always holds a bit of a conflicted feeling. I mean, there is no denying the excitement that comes from the festive music and decorations, the special peace that permeates homes in which families are spending more time speaking of and rejoicing in Christ, and the fun of preparing gifts for loved ones.
But...
it's just...
the weather.
It all becomes very strange intermixed with 80 degrees and clear skies.

I know we are not the only ones who experience this...plenty of the world has warm weather during this season. But since we're used to northern-hemisphere-inspired images of the holiday, it still feels slightly abnormal.

Here's a look at the ways we have been inching our way through December...both traditional and non...

Traditional:
Daddy putting up lights. Little ones 'helping' in their feetsie pajamas.

Non-traditional:
Mom working on cleaning out the garage while Dad puts up lights.
Because it's so nice outside.
And discovering that James had decided to utilize one of the strollers for a mid-morning rest.
Can you see him?

How about now?

From the back.
All settled in...

...for a long winter's nap...?

Traditional:
Putting up the Christmas tree.
(JC tried to convince the kids that this first tier was the whole tree. They weren't having it.)
We also happened to be right on a family tradition I had growing up...tree up on the first Monday of December. Complete with hot chocolate. Missing the donuts, but oh well. :)
And this year this was not near soon enough for the kids. They complained the whole week before that we were the 'only ones without Christmas stuff.'
And so it begins.

Non-traditional:
A three year old celebrating the tree being up with some sort of gangsta strut.

Traditional:
Making Christmas Cookies
Orange Slice Cookies! These are a recipe from JC's family and are so so yummy. The only cookie that does not involve chocolate that I go ga-ga over. Bethany chose these to make for her kindergarten cookie exchange. Boy do they start 'em young! We all helped.

Non-traditional:
Tasting plenty of the ingredients just to be sure they are right.

Blurry, but still good.

The kids' favorite part (aside from eating the ingredients of course) was adding the chopped up orange slice candies to the mix.

All set!

And Ben calls it good.
(with his larger-than-life thumb...I love his lanky fingers!)

Later, I ran out for a shopping trip with Ali and came home to the baked cookies arranged as follows:

(I actually think JC may have been trying to make up for the fact that there were a couple cookies missing...OR he could have just been being sweet. He does that.)

Still on the Non-traditional front:
Juice pops and balmy outside play time.

Ben is in his feetsies still because he never wants to get dressed. And I understand completely. James is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and Bethany is barefoot.
Eating popsicles. In the backyard. In December.

Traditional:
Catching cutesie pictures of the kids in Christmas-y colors.

Non-traditional:
The camera getting stolen by the middle child who cannot help but snap a (rather charming) self-portrait.

Traditional:
Decorating the tree with ornaments ranging from new, made-in-preschool ones to ones that are as old as Daddy!

Non-traditional:
Showing off the ornament you own personally that has only one piece broken off and missing.

Traditional:
Getting the whole family in on the decorating action...even the cat.

Non-traditional:
Doing much of your decorating from the shoulders of another.

(even if it scares you a little at first)

...and attempting to use the family's stockings as actual socks.

Traditional:
Attending the ward/neighborhood Christmas Party.
Those of us that could. Bethany had the stomach bug. :( Poor girl. She was such a trooper about it. I have since gotten the same thing and was about five times less sick and five times less brave.
Here, James digs directly into his bag of kettle corn at the party.
(Sorry for the bad pictures, my camera was on a weird setting and I don't know how to work things in general.)

Ben spent much of the night with one of our favorite girls, London.
JC and I taught London in primary when Ben was a newborn. They bonded and have since had a connection. We see her in the hallways at church or after school picking up Bethany and she says, "Ben Ballard!" to which he just smiles and shows her his shoes or something.
I am secretly plotting to make her our babysitter someday.
He had so much fun hanging out with her that night! She walked him around, got him treats, and sat with him to watch the entertainment.

James rode on the amazing little train they had there!
Ben was a little nervous about the general idea so he sat out and watched.
And I know you can see absolutely nothing in this picture. But I am including it anyway.
If you look closely you can locate his smiling face!

A while later, after his train ride, James located Santa rolling into town!

The boys visited with him together.

We got a picture with him...

Told him what we wanted for Christmas and got advice about how to ensure delivery.
"Be good for your mom and dad!" he says!
I liked that part. But the part I liked best was when James asked for a small candy cane to take home to his sister for her to have when she was better. All on his own. He is so thoughtful when it comes to things like that.
Ben found Santa fascinating. Instead of frightening. Yay!

Non-traditional:
Enjoying our pool-o-autumn-leaves.
Or...covered-sandbox-o-winter-leaves.
The leaves on our backyard matriarch of a tree, Mom-Mom (Timothy Treadwill salute...you may get tired of it...I never will), came down by the buckets this last week. There was never like, one solitary leaf gently spinning to the earth below. It would come on suddenly and intensely and there would be a shower of leaves. Then nothing. Then a shower. It was amusing to watch. And listen to while I cooked dinner with the back door open.
Nothing.
Whooosh!
Eeeeeek!
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Nothing.
Whoooosh!
Eeeeeek!
Crunch, crunch, crunch.

On Sunday, after church and after dinner, we let the kids wander out back into the dark to ruin their nice Sunday clothes. Right of passage, yes? I took the opportunity to sit and play a few Christmas songs on the piano but after a while got drawn outside by all the fun noises.
JC was using the rake to induce leaf droppage.
Mom-Mom normally likes to go the all-natural route when it comes to delivering her leaves but will make exceptions for the joy of the little ones. (Yes, I know trees are not people. And that I'm only kind of funny. But, let's cater to my amusement for a moment. It's been a long day.)

JC piled the leaves at the bottom of the slide for this purpose:

I randomly stuck my camera inside the top of the playhouse where I could hear the kids giggling but didn't know what they were doing.
Caught this picture. Haha tickles!

The next order of business was to line the kids up...

go off to the side to prep some leaves...
(look at Ben's anticipation face)

and WOOHOO!!!!
(can't even see Ben)

Next?
Pile the leaves back up. Apparently, one at a time.

Then take turns running and jumping into them.

Then...free for all time.

And leaf angel time.
You know, like snow angel.
But leaf angel.

So, yeah, non-traditional in a lot of ways.
But still good.
Very good.
Getting close to Christmas and loving it. The anticipation is fun and the moments to reflect on Christ's birth and mission are nourishing to the soul.
I love my Savior more every year. Ditto for all the people captured enjoying the season in this post. :)