If you spend any time with us this month you’re sure to hear Kinsley asking, “is it Christmas yet?” I think a quiet day has me answering, “not yet,” only a dozen times.

Christmas excitement doesn’t get any smaller just because we moved into a small space. Our challenge has been finding a way to make Goblin feel festive without feeling cluttered.

Zoe insisted, and rightly so, that her countdown calendar needed a place aboard Goblin. It’s settled into a corner so perfectly sized that you’d think we’d planned it. Zoe and Kinsley take turns hanging ornaments each day.

There are a number of on deck trees around the marina but our center cockpit and two mast design makes this less practical. There isn’t an easy to get to flat space to set up a tree. Besides, we’ve hung our tree upside down for the past few years and that’s a tradition we’ve grown very fond of. Right side up on the deck just wouldn’t be right.

Instead of a tree we’ve strung lights along the top of the cabin and hung our ornaments there as well. It looks a bit like lying under a Christmas tree. We also found an 18 inch tree to put up, upside down from the hatch, on Christmas Eve.

We’ve been spending our days cutting paper snowflakes, decorating wrapping paper, and painting a wreath. There are cookies and hot chocolate, holiday movies, and mountains of Christmas books from the library to keep us feeling festive.

As for gifts, that’s been a challenge. Alex and I give the kids four gifts, something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. We can scale those for the space without too much trouble. The problem is Santa. He fills the stockings and then leaves a few surprises. I hope he gets the memo that edible and consumable gifts would be appreciated. Think small, Santa.