Preparing for Christmas

Well, everyone, Christmas is quickly approaching and it's high time we get ready for it! Thank goodness our doll family is bigger than ever, because there was certainly a lot to be done before the big day arrived. It's the kids' first Christmas, which made things even more exciting for everybody involved. Here's just a few pictures I took from yesterday whenever we were doing our Great Christmas Checklist, as Loki calls it. He says it doesn't have to be in any particular order.
(Also, a quick update on the Halloween post that She said I would be posting later... I think it is best if I publish it next October. If I get a request for it, I will publish it earlier than that, but it doesn't make sense to me to have a Halloween post until "spooky season" returns. Sorry about that, guys! Thank you for remaining my loyal readers.)

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Step one to catching the Christmas spirit: get festive with some new clothes! Accessorize with warmer things to wear like hats, mittens, and capes. Definitely capes. One of Olaf's favorite part of Christmas is putting on his green-and-red knit hat. 

Step two: fire up the oven! Dorothy and Idina just love baking and decorating cookies anytime of the year, but especially December. This year, they made royal icing by hand, which had a whipped texture and a mouth-watering crunch (well, if doll's mouths could water).

Step three: play in the snow! Don't have snow? A friendly Elsa doll might be able to help you with that. Don't have an Elsa doll? Well... an indoor snowball fight with large white pom-pom balls works, too. Luckily, She got snow for Christmas this year, and the kids were able to build the snowman they've always dreamed of. (Thanks to my magic, they could bring it inside.)

Step four: get cozy! The best way to do this is to build a fire, cuddle up in some blankets, and turn on a nostalgic Christmas movie. Thalia tends to fall asleep every movie we try to watch together, so A Charlie Brown Christmas is the perfect length for us. Of course, hot chocolate or any other hot beverage is a requirement for step four.

Step five: catch up with some old friends. Since we dolls all live together, this is very easy for us to do, but not so for humans. One of She's Christmas traditions is writing cards to all of her friends and family that She doesn't get to see very often. It's always a nice way to keep in touch and tell people that you're thinking of them and wishing them the best.

Step six: take some time to reflect. Christmas is not always an easy time for everyone. With so much to do, it can be stressful or even saddening whenever we think about the people or dolls we won't be spending the holidays with. Remember to put yourself first, or else you sacrifice any strength you would have had to help others. Think about all that you've accomplished thus far and remain optimistic about your goals for the new year.

Step seven: decorate a Christmas tree! This is my personal favorite part. The humans have two trees of their own, the tall one downstairs and the smaller one in the upstairs hallway. We dolls have already had a tree of our own, but the kids got their own this year. They wanted a special tree for themselves, so this one glitters and even glows!

This year, Jocasta was voted to be the one to put the star on the top of the tree.

So what about you guys? Are you prepared for Christmas? What are your traditions, and what do you do to get into the holiday spirit? Feel free to leave me a comment! I'll be sure to respond.

Ready for Christmas,

Queen Elsa Rodgers