Jingle Bells and Lizard Tails

Just a couple days after we arrived, we decorated for Christmas with the few things we were able to bring over in our suitcases.

Since our container shipment was delayed, I knew we would not have an actual Christmas tree. So thanks to Pinterest, I was able to get a little something together the night before we left the States. It's not the real deal, but I think the kids have enjoyed playing with it.

We had lots of fun decorating the felt tree, listening to Christmas music and sweating to death!!

I was able to bring our stockings that a good friend made for us last year right after the fire.  The walls are cement so it's not easy to hang things.....but these hooks were already in the wall in just the right place for our 5 stockings!!! The Lord had them in just the right spot!

The kids have really enjoyed the countdown calendar that one of their grandmas made for them.  Each day has had just a little something(like a Squinky toy, chapstick, little balls, or nail polish) in it.  They have looked forward to it every morning!

And of course,  our Elf on the Shelf, "Elfie" made his grand appearance!  The kids were just amazed that he found us all the way in Togo! 

And in the midst of decorating and singing carols, a rather large lizard decided he wanted in on all the holiday fun!  Now we have lots of lizards in the house.  They take some getting use to, but they are actually good at eating bugs in the house!! However, I have 3 rules regarding lizards.  #1  The lizard must be what I call an "indoor lizard" as opposed to what I call an "outside lizard".....and believe me, there IS a difference. #2 The number of lizards in the house can not exceed the number of people in the house.  And #3  The lizard must be less than 6 inches long.  Now, we were under our people to lizard ratio, but this guy was an "outside lizard" and was definitely over 6 inches long.  So John and Olivia took a quick break from decorating in order to chase the lizard outside!!

Each night as we put the kids to bed and read them a few of the books we brought with us about the real meaning of Christmas, I thank the Lord for this time of year.  Even though it is not a "traditional" Christmas season, we are thankful for the reminders of what this season is really about. The decorations are simple, but they are all a good reminder of the wonderful Christmas season!