Oh Christmas Tree

We picked up and moved our family from our very happy and comfortable life in Prosper, TX to Lewisville, TX (only about 30-40 minutes) to cut down on gas and tolls for my husband's commute to his new job in Bedford, TX. It was really hard to sell our home and move into a TEENY TINY apartment. Our kids have had a difficult time adjusting and I will admit I have as well. I hate cooking now because I don't have any space to cook and the little space I have gets so dirty in a matter of seconds. Our main reason for moving is so we can save money on gas and tolls and get out of debt faster. So many financial things have come up that would have really put a damper on our 'get out of debt plan' if we let it. Instead, we kept our goals, and decided that keeping our goals meant we would sacrifice Christmas gifts. I ordered just a few small gifts for the kids (books, and a couple little toys) but Mike and I were OK with no gifts for the two of us...for another year. We have a big, nice, albeit fake, Christmas tree that is being stored at my mother-in-laws but we have no space for it at the apartment.

After basically foregoing Christmas all together I realized that this is the first time that Preston (3) is now REALLY understanding the whole concept of Christmas and gosh darn it he deserves the experience. He also needs to know that there is SO much more to Christmas than gifts. With that idea in mind I took the kids to Walmart and I got a little 4ft Christmas tree and I let Preston pick the ornaments. Mike got home from work and we set up our tree and also got a visitor who Preston named "Tommy". I know some people are so anti- Elf on the Shelf but I decided that we would do it. Tommy is here to make sure Preston is a good boy but Tommy is a good elf....for the most part. He did get into Madison's snacks one time, and was swinging from the window cords but he's not too naughty. Preston is so excited to wake up and see what Tommy has done in the middle of the night. The Christmas spirit of decor, music, movies and then the true meaning of the birth of our Savior is still happening at the Crump house whether gifts are or not.