It's the most wonderful time of the year

Yes, your girl is humming Christmas carols on November 18th.  And she's halfway done with her Christmas shopping.  And her tree is going up this weekend.  Can you believe it?  Remember this post 355 days ago?  I guess I actually am a Scrooge no more.

One of our most fabulous Christmas traditions is the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  Since Alli was a little baby, we have gotten a little girl from the tree who was her age.  Then we go shopping as a family for the child.  I think it's a great tradition that I hope to continue for a long time.  Awesomely enough, our work has an Angel tree so I don't have to lug it all up to the mall during this crazy holiday season. 

As soon as the tree came out at work, Ryan went to go pick a little girl off of it (it's closer to his building than mine).  This year we got a little girl who is 5 and wants Barbies, a Barbie house, and Barbie accessories.  How perfect is that? 

Tonight was the night we went shopping for her.  I think Alli had almost as much fun as Ryan and I did.  She was extremely thoughtful about which Barbies and clothes we were getting.  She wanted to make sure there was one with every hair color, just in case our little girl wasn't a blonde.  We also got a Ken doll "so they could kiss."  What do they teach them in kindergarten? 

Here's a shot of the loot:

Oh yes.  Let's break it down, shall we? 

• 3 Barbies - a blonde cheerleader, a reddish-brunette fashionista, and a hippie-chic dark headed one 
• One Ken doll 
• One set of clothes for the Barbies and one change of clothes for Ken
• A Disney Princesses blanket
• A vacation home for the Barbies
• A huge pink carrying case for the Barbies that came free with our purchase

How awesome is this?  And how bad is it that I secretly wanted to go buy duplicates for Alli (and me)?  There's nothing I love more than dressing Barbies.  Alli can't stand playing with me when we are playing Barbies because all I do is dress and re-dress them.

When we shop for the Angel tree kiddo, I always get them a few warm clothes as well. 

You know I had to throw the horse in there!  I hope this little girl has a really special Christmas, and I am so happy that my family is able to help hers out.  Please remember the reason for this season!!