Christmas cheer or Christmas fear….

We are learning the first Christmas as a parent is much different than Christmas without children. This will be Henry's first Christmas, and even though he may be too young to fully understand Christmas, Ryan and I are starting what will hopefully become Christmas traditions in our house. Now, whether our good intentions to start Christmas traditions turns into Christmas cheer or Christmas fear……….only the years will tell.

Tradition #1. Picture with Santa.
Covington, LA is the epitome of suburbia life. Neighborhoods galore, families everywhere, children everywhere. I figured it would be super easy to find a nice, fat, jolly St. Nick knee to plop Henry on and capture the quintessential Santa photograph. I was greatly mistaken, Santa is hard to find in Covington, LA. Just as I was hitting my limit of finding Jolly Old St. Nick, Ryan saw a sign that a local hotel would be hosting Santa the following day. Done. We would go. Apparently every other Mother in the area was having the same struggle to find Santa, because every family and child was also at this same hotel to get a picture with Santa. Two hours later and constant verbal reminders from all the Mothers that this was "for the children" the Mothers, I mean children were excited to have their picture taken with Santa.

Tradition #2. Christmas train.
Ryan was more than accommodating as I frantically searched for Santa, and then very calmly waited to have the picture with Santa taken, it was only fair that I would then participate in Ryan's Christmas tradition, buy Henry a Christmas train. The research was done, the train set was chosen, off to the train store we went. And quickly home we came to set up the Christmas train.

The Polar Express was the chosen train set. It makes train noises, it talks, it even smokes. Everything to meet Ryan's, I mean Henry's every wish for a Christmas train. :)

"What did you bring home now?"

I love the Polar Express movie and book, so I was all too happy to have the Polar Express train in our house. I was even more excited it came with the silver bell (for Henry, of course).

The moment of truth. Henry gets to check out his new Christmas train. 

Priceless. No love for the Christmas train. 

As the time passed, he began to warm up to it. 

Macy was not too thrilled. 

An update: Since the train pictures were taken, both Henry and Macy no longer fear the train.

And some photos to end this post. Santa Henry. Because as we all know, Christmas is for the children, not the parents. The parents, whom we all know may or may not use the excuse of having children to partake in various holiday traditions. Photos with Santa, Christmas trains, purchasing large quantities of holiday attire and then dressing up their children for more photographs…

Dogs and babies. Both equally fascinated by lights.