o come, o come emmanuel

i don't think i've ever been as excited for christmas as i am this year. it could be the real tree. it could be because i'm nesting which had me taking on a few ambitious projects. but the holiday music has not stopped in this house since the day after thanksgiving. neither has the shopping. christmas candy is in the gumball machine. a cinnamon candle has been burning all day.

as i mentioned before, our little felt dollar store tree skirt wasn't going to cut it this year. we have our first real tree in our very first home. this year deserved more. 

normally, i come up with a project and steve is the executor. he always gives me the best way to tackle something. but this time he said, "i have no idea. you're on your own." so away i went. and here's the finished product:

 

i used instructions from HERE and HERE. it took a lot longer than i was hoping and was not easy on my 7 month pregnant body, but i am so happy with how it turned out! definitely the perfect skirt for our tree!

 

remember the advent calendar the boys made last year? well, that got revamped this year, too! 

 

in each bag is a passage to read out of the Jesus Storybook Bible. i found the advent plan HERE. we also included some candy and little gifts for each day. nothing too crazy. but i am so excited about being a little more deliberate with jack this year in keeping the focus on Christ and sharing what it all means. it's fun to be celebrating and preparing for Jesus all month long!

hope your holiday season is just as exciting as ours!