Thanksgiving. And the Jolly Old Elf Himself. As Well As Some Magic.

Thanksgiving came with a little bit of ceremony.  Mostly in the actual foods that were prepared and the setting up of tables, and finally the watching of "While You Were Sleeping" while the big stuff was in the oven and it wasn't quite time to start the little stuff yet.

That's a big part of Thanksgiving ceremony, "While You Were Sleeping."

Cali learned how to make a Dutch Apple Pie.  Cas learned what it was to make pumpkin pies with Grandpa Dick and why that's a treat.

Our house was full to the brink.

 I posted this picture of Casidee on my Instagram:

And then this happened:

The yelling didn't start until the playing cards came out.

Slapjack for the younger crowd and nertz for the older and slightly more violent crowd.

And we may have come out of the experience with a broken stair banister, but you can't have family holidays be all good, right?  If that's the worst then all is well.

And then it happened.

December is here and I hardly even had time to realize it.  It takes me by surprise every year.

We kicked December off last night with Cali and Tayler's choir singing at our City Hall for the lighting of the city's lights.

And a visit with the Jolly Old Elf himself.  Cali asked for Monster High dolls.  Tayler for earmuffs.  Blue ones.

And it struck me, with the growing of my Circus, how very little time I have left for Christmas to be full of magic.

It will be always be magical.

But it changes from magic and wonder to a more specific awareness of giving and love, which is not bad, it's really very good, but I realize how little time I have left with the added bonus of a child's magic and wonder at it all.

Though when it's all said and done I suppose it's the awareness of giving and love that creates the magic for children, and whether they realize it or not, that will always be there, so we'll lose nothing in the growing of our children, the reason for it all will just change.

And that, perhaps, might be even a little better.

To have the magic with a purpose instead.