1. Calories @1650 and protein 150g.
2. Limit Wine to the weekend, if at all.
3. Water - Minimum of 80 ounces
4. Exercise 6 days a week (core/strength train/cardio)
5. Consistently hit 10k steps - Goal 20+ days.
6. Daily reads or audible.
7. Post work out snack

One day early in December, my son and I visited a Christmas tree farm to cut down a tree for the first time. Core was 4 and was excited about the spirit of Christmas.
It was about an hour away from where we lived at the time. When we arrived, we were greeted by Elves in varying red and green outfits, we were given hot chocolate to drink as we began to stroll the farm. After viewing a few rows, Corey pointed to a six foot Douglas fir as his choice.

We cut down the tree, took tons of pictures, bagged it, tied it to our car, and began the trek home to begin the decorating process.
We got home, brought the tree inside, prepared some cider and started decorating the tree. I recalled our family’s long-time tradition of obtaining a tree about three weeks before Christmas, usually the kind requiring assembly; decorating it and then populating with presents until the holiday. The magic occurred in the early morning hours of December 25th, when Santa brought the wish-list gifts and strategically placed them unwrapped under the tree for the surprise of Christmas morning.

We strung the red and white lights and hung ornaments on the tree, each with a story reiterated every year. Corey attentively listened as I handed him the ornaments to place on the tree. We continued adorning and storytelling until all the decorations were neatly and satisfactorily arranged on the tree.

We skipped our nightly bedtime story, and Corey eagerly went to bed earlier than his normal bedtime. I remained awake until midnight and retired as well.

The next morning, Corey stood, crying hysterically, at the foot of my bed. While not appearing to be in physical pain, it was obvious something terrible had occurred. Sobbing uncontrollably, I could barely understand him. Finally, I heard the words. “Santa didn’t come.”

I almost started crying as well, but my tears were from laughter, not sadness. “Oh honey,” I said as I reached out to console my little boy. “Today isn’t Christmas. We have three more weeks to wait for Santa!” Relieved, he was able to display a meek smile through the, now slowing, flow of tears. Later that day, we purchased a calendar so that Corey could mark the days as they expired until Christmas.