Christmas Recap Part 1
Ah… I love Christmas. Have I mentioned that? (ha ha…). This one was really nice, starting with the Christmas Eve festivities. We always have my friend and her two daughters over on Christmas Eve. Our girls have been friends since preschool, when we started this tradition. We decorate cookies, eat dinner, go for a walk, and just hang out. We used to see each other all the time, but now our girls go to different schools and sometimes the WHOLE YEAR goes by without getting together… until Christmas Eve rolls around again. It’s actually amazing we’ve been able to keep this tradition going for twelve years. The cookies were interesting, as usual! After they left, my daughter went to bed (my husband and son were out playing a church gig together) and I got busy with the Santa magic! I filled stockings, hung candy canes on the tree, and put out all the presents. When I was done, I felt like I should throw my elf cap up in the air, like they do in Polar Express when Santa’s sleigh takes off. I crawled into bed at 1 am. In a true Christmas miracle, I slept SOUNDLY until almost 8:00! I didn’t even get up for the bathroom! Boy, did I need that. At 8 my daughter couldn’t wait any longer, and we all got up to open presents. But wait! There’s something new under the tree… It was my Christmas Book Flood! Now, let me just mention that my husband HATES wrapping presents. He mentioned to a friend that he got me a bunch of books for Christmas, and she said “I would just put them in a basket with some tea and chocolate.” When I heard that, I laughed so hard. I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean an EASTER BASKET (it’s an old one he found in the garage.) But hey- our family is quirky. We can have an Easter Basket under our Christmas tree. In addition to the Santa presents under the tree, these are the presents my husband and I got for each other, and that the kids got for us and each other. We had a lot of opening to do! I had one big present that I saved for last… Here’s my haul (except I left out one thing- a nice serving bowl that I used for Christmas dinner.). Yes, the big present was an air fryer!!! That little green thing at the bottom is some powdered greens I’ve been wanting to try- I’m looking for something like Athletic Greens, but not as expensive. Everyone was happy with their presents, although my daughter had a few fails: the jeans I got her were an “ugly” color, the Hello Kitty t-shirt was “too minimalistic,” the Crocs were the wrong size, and the blazer had no inside pocket (a fatal flaw, apparently.) But don’t feel too sorry for her! She still got plenty of loot- two Switch games, a couple plushies (characters from games she likes) a rat charm bracelet, and various other odds and ends… plus the gift of the day, a Juicy Couture hoodie. She LOVES that, and fun fact- it arrived at the last minute on Christmas Eve. Phew! My son got new clothes, a big Lego (the “Jazz Club”), some shoes, cologne, and oh yes, his stocking was pretty okay. He got socks, and Pokemon cards, some chocolate bars, air freshener for his car… I managed to fill it. The fam had cinnamon rolls for breakfast… and I had gingerbread oatmeal, with a little “breakfast dessert.” And then I hunkered down on the couch to catch up on blogs and sip tea. We had Christmas music playing all day, and it was so peaceful! My cat came over, so that means I had to take a nap. For lunch we had a charcuterie board… And after lunch I started Dover One, which I am loving so far… I had to take nap #2, and then it was time to start dinner. Dessert was a cookie platter. And now… it’s over. Sob! My usual pattern is to get sad on the night of the 25th, perk up a little on the 26th- it’s still the holidays!- and then get really down around New Year’s. But let’s not go there yet. This is a holiday week (“Between the Years,” according to San) and there’s still delicious food, twinkle lights, and new books to read. And my daughter leaves for Rome on Wednesday, so there’s a lot to do to get ready for that. Onward! Coming up tomorrow: Further Christmas thoughts, and dealing with taking it all down (noooooooo!) How was your day? If you have Christmas traditions, what are your favorites? Do you get sad when holidays end?