It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas....

This past week we finally had some time as a family, and we used that time to start setting up our Christmas tree.  This year I opted for using shatterproof balls so that Jared could participate in the decorating and I would not feel like I had to tell him to stay away from the tree.  He got a true kick out of putting the balls on the tree and continued to say "ball"  all night.  It's hard to say whether he knows what Christmas is, or why we put the tree up at all, but he definitely found joy in watching it all come together. 
We cannot wait to play "Santa" this year and see his face on Christmas morning when he sees all that Santa left.
In the midst of this, every single day Jared has been learning the lessons of the nativity.  Our advent calendar is one that places a magnet of the nativity into the manger.  He enjoys placing the magnets into the scene and hearing us tell him the story that is behind each one.  Sometimes it is as simple as a barn animal, and we tell him that even the animals were there for HIS birth. 
I sure hope that Jared finds the lessons of this season as he continues to grow.