When we were kids we had a few sweet treat traditions around Christmastime, none of which included actual baking.  Coming from a German family, my dad grew up loving the taste of Lebkuchen.  Each year growing up my parents would order some Lebkuchen from a company in Germany, Lebkuchen-Schmidt.  At the time, it felt like such a BIG deal.  In an age long before internet ordering or the widespread availability of foods from around the world, having a box arrive with cookies directly from Germany felt like such a momentous thing.  I don't even LIKE the taste of Lebkuchen, but would try a little each year - hoping to love the cookies that came from so far and were packaged in the most fantastic tins and boxes.

The other sweet tradition was an Advent calendar, each window filled with a tiny chocolate, which of course I liked right off the bat.  It was such a great treat, getting to have a piece of chocolate first thing in the morning each day during the month of December.  My brother and I loved it.  Who wouldn't?

This year, my mom bought and filled a great Advent calendar for the kids.  Not just the kind filled with little chocolates, but a big wooden house with 24 tiny doors.  I've had it hidden since mom brought it here over Thanksgiving and took it out yesterday as we decorated the rest of the house.  I don't think they've ever seen an Advent calendar before, and between the coolness of it's tiny doors and sparkly bags, and the idea of presents - they could not bear to be away from it.

Here's Martin, just getting started exploring the doors.  This was right after he took off his pants so that he could wear the tree skirt.  I said, "I you're quite the débutante".  He replied, "I'm not a débutante, I'm a treebutante."  I should have known, it's so obvious now.  He looks pretty, doesn't he?


For the first few hours, Martin and Sophie just looked in the doors, removing the bags and putting them back.  Here's Sophie playing with Santa, moving him around and talking to him about elves.  This was right after she took off all her clothes and decided that "nothing" was the perfect thing to wear when it's like five degrees outside.


Last night before bedtime I heard Martin talking near the advent calendar.  "Santa!  Let us in!  It's an emergency!"  Martin and his firefighters had formed an alliance to keep intruders from stealing the holiday loot:


And in case you're wondering... I made it all the way to this morning before I'd had enough of asking the kids to put everything back in the doors.  It's now been relocated to a high shelf which I hope will be enough to keep them out of the doors until it's time to open them.  If not, I'm going to take out all of the little treasures and replace them with Lebkuchen.