It Has Arrived!

Christmas has officially arrived at the Dillard house--the halls are decked and the trees are glittering.  It's already so much fun, and it can officially be declared that Max is obsessed with all things Christmas. 

First of all, Santa is fascinating.  And Max really likes to talk to him--a lot. We met Santa a few weeks ago at a breakfast, and Max has talked non-stop about him since then.  We even made a quick stop at the Bass Prop Shop at Opry Mills to see him last week.  Apparently Santa had a scheduled segment on GAC, which is awfully unconvenient and painful for the scores of parents and kids waiting and watching.  Lucky for us, Bass Pro had lots of distract little minds--race cars and toy shotguns. 

Loved the huge nativity scene--it's one of my favorite things each year!

The three of us at Opryland Hotel--we were on a hunt for Santa, even though we were pretty unsuccessful--we had fun!  Note to everyone considering Opryland to look at lights: we were the youngest people there by about 30 years:)

Thank you, Bass Pro Shop, for doing this during store hours.  Most of the kids didn't understand the concept of "Santa is doing a television interview, so you can't sit in his lap!"

Secondly, I have learned that Max's taste in Christmas lights would rival that of Clarke Griswald.  I will admit to being somewhat of a snob about outdoor Christmas decorations--it drives me bananas to see clear lights, colored lights, icicles, blow up toys, blinking, and turning and twisting all together.  On our way home from Target this week, we passed just THAT house.  It was wild, and it made my head hurt.  But, as we rounded the corner, Max tells me:  "Mama, Santa would be so proud!"  Less is more is just not a concept that we can grasp just yet. 

Thanks to one of my very best girlfriends, we were able to meet our favorite Texans, the Haynes girls, in Jackson for a playdate at Chuck E. Cheese before they headed back to Corpus Christi.  Gosh, I remember the days when Max would sit on a very-pregnant-with-Mattie-and-Hailey's lap and pat on her belly like a drum.  They were so funny to watch play, and I'm so glad that we got to spend some time with them before they headed back home.

Can we all gander at our obviously unplanned picture with Santa?  The kids had played so well, and we weren't ready to go home just yet, so we walked over to the mall to see Santa.  The kids sat, smiled, and said "cheese" immediately, so we couldn't resist the picture.  I have never in my life seen Max sit and smile so intently.  Case in point, this child hears perfectly and his moral compass is right on point when Santa is right behind him.

Aunt Whitney and Nathan came by for a quick visit on their way home.  Whitney showed Max her favorite spot as a kid. 

 Other quick observations--that Elf of the Shelf creeps me out.  It's something about his eyes, but I swear it reminds me of a doll  that has been tucked away in my grandparents' toy closet since I was a kid.  I'm not a fan.  And, if we made it through the next month with all pieces of our nativity scene in tact, that will be a miracle.  I keep finding pieces that are missing--then, they mysteriously turn up in the toy basket or hidden somewhere on top of a counter that is exactly 44' off the ground.  Baby Jesus and his sheep are just that fascinating, I guess.

We ended our weekend at LP Field.  We had a great time with the normal game day activities, even given the fact that the Titans are worse than terrible.  Anyone need three PSLs?