A Very Merry Christmas

Our first Christmas at home as a family of four was simply wonderful, despite a few hiccups. Christmas Eve was a day spent lounging in pajamas, eating Christmas cookies, and watching Christmas Vacation. We went to a candlelight church service and then went to see an awesome Christmas light display in a nearby neighborhood. Bobby sat on Alex's shoulders in awe, exclaiming, "WOW!!" over and over. It was adorable the first fifteen times, and then I fear it started to wear on peoples' nerves. But it was just so cute to see the joy and wonder written across his face. There truly is nothing like seeing Christmas through a child's eyes. 

 

After the lights, we went back home, and I made homemade mac-n-cheese, while my Mother-in-Law served up a delectable Honeybaked Ham and her famous artichoke salad. It was Vivi's first foray into both ham and mac-n-cheese, and it was a huge hit. Girlfriend loves carbs just like her mama, the poor dear.

 We put on our matching Christmas jammers, read "The Night Before Christmas," and tucked the kiddos into bed before heading back downstairs to play Santa. This was where things started to get hairy.

It's beyond the laws of physics to get a good family picture when a toddler is involved.

I began arranging the presents into piles, the way Santa always did when I was a child. Growing up, I always awakened on Christmas morning to find all of our presents elaborately arranged in individual piles. Some gifts were wrapped, while others were not. But there was a large wow factor to see all of the presents in a pile just for you. So I started piling. Alex looked at me perplexed and asked, "what in the hell are you doing?"

"I'm putting the presents into piles for everybody...like Santa does." I explained.

"Santa doesn't do that. Santa brings presents and puts them under the tree, and then one person is elected to hand them all out on Christmas morning" he replied.

"No he doesn't!"

"Yes he does!"

"No he doesn't!!"

You can see where this is going. This back-and-forth debate went on for at least ten minutes until we reached a stalemate. I started mass texting all of my good friends to get their input on how Santa works. And you know what? Apparently every family does Santa a little differently. Some families only get one Santa present. Others do the opposite. Some families wrap all their gifts. Some leave them upwrapped. Some do a combo. Some families do piles. Some families do it under the tree. Turns out there is no right or wrong way. I did eventually decide to compromise, and the majority of the presents stayed under the tree. But I hated it, and I believe I will win this next year, as Alex's way sucks. That's all I have to say about that.

Anyhow, Bobby was all smiles when he saw his teepee on Christmas morning, and he had the best time opening his (and Vivi's) presents. Vivi had a blast eating bows. We had eggnog biscuit pudding and a ham hashbrown casserole for brunch and enjoyed the togetherness.

Afterward, we drove to my parents' house for Christmas dinner. This was the first time experiencing Christmas Day at my childhood home as a guest, and that was surreal. But all was great, and it was a wonderful Christmas.

Although Viv seemed a little pissed that we dressed her up like a ruby red loofah.

So far the biggest hits have been Bobby's teepee, the massive dump truck, this sock monkey jack in the box, these cars, and his broom set (although small brooms are a lot less appealing than a normal sized broom, which is useful for knocking fragile items off of the counter tops). Vivi's favorite present is her ice cream sundae stacker set. It's just the cutest. My mama also gave her some adorable moccasins from Freshly Picked, but they don't fit her abnormally teeny feet yet, so hopefully she can wear them by Spring. And my favorite gifts were a new pair of Uggs and some amazing new sheets. You know what, I take that back. Actually, my favorite present was an envelope from Alex containing reservations to a night alone at a hotel on the beach with a spa day included. What a sweet and thoughtful surprise :)

We usually leave our Christmas decorations up until after New Year, but Alex will be gone for 4 out of the next 5 weeks, and I had no intention of packing it all up alone with two babies. So we I dismantled it all first thing on Friday morning while I had extra hands and eyes on the beasties. It feels a bit dreary in our house now after the sparkle has been removed, and I'm trying to figure out how to decorate my house to just look normal. I can't remember what it used to look like, as I have been doing seasonal decorations since Fall.

I get a tad blue every year right after Christmas, because the hustle and bustle, magic, and glitter of the holiday season is over, giving way to the dreary deadness that is January. I have resolved to kick that attitude to the curb, though, and inject a little sparkle into our late winter. I am going to enjoy these last few days of 2014 and soak this time in. And then we are looking forward to a fresh, new year full of potential. The possibilities are endless. So is my list of resolutions.

Keep on keepin' on!

-Annette