I'm so happy to report that I loved this Christmas season. The first week of December I was a bit grumpy about kids playing with decorations, but after that I pretty much had Christmas spirit all month long. It really makes me feel relief that I DON'T hate Christmas!
I also realized that we only have a handful of magical kid Christmases left. I must cherish every year.
For some reason I have fooled myself into believing that they stay little forever. But the evidence is in the fact that the Christmas pajamas from last year - that they were once swimming in - are now becoming high waters. Evan's belly was peeking out of his buffalo plaid shirt tonight. How can that be?
See these new pajamas G and G got the kids this Christmas? They are huge, right? No way will they ever actually grow out of them. No way.
Christmas Eve ice cream and Christmas lesson.
Usually we read Luke 2, but I want to make a new tradition of singing The Nativity Song. They liked it.
(This picture was actually of Christmas Eve Eve)
Evan kept talking about what a "long night" it was before morning. I told him he couldn't get up before 7:00. He said he woke up two times before that. It's such a hard night to get through!
But at 7:05, he came in whispering "It's Christmas morning!"
We had to wake Andrew.
Then they waited at the top of the stairs.
Nettie quilt! I love it so much. I told everyone I want it to be MINE, but today Evan told me I had to share.
So, a few weeks before Christmas, Andrew started saying that he wanted a costume from Santa.
Santa wasn't totally sure what he meant by that.
"A Lightning Mcqueen costume".
Santa still wasn't sure, so he gave Andrew a wooden Radiator Springs village that connects with the other wooden railroad tracks. Lightning Mcqueen is involved with that toy.
On Christmas day, after a few hours of playing, Andrew said to Jim,
"you didn't get a hammer, and I didn't get a costume."
(I guess one day Andrew was discussing with Jim what he wanted from Santa and they decided on a hammer...)
It just about broke my heart. Surely Santa could have come up with SOME kind of Lightning Mcqueen costume, couldn't he? Dang it.
But Grandma told me she is going to get him one for his birthday next week.
I love Christmas morning. Every surface is covered with an activity or game or project.
We had to pull out two card tables to house the different projects.
My kids are at a good age where they can work on their things all by themselves and are busy all morning playing and building.
I love Christmas living room.
In the evening, as we were tidying up and clearing off couches and making neat piles,
I got such a pang in my heart that the day was over.
Once you tidy up...Christmas is really over.
It makes me so sad.
It also makes me so happy that it makes me sad. It means I have happy feelings for Christmas again!
This year was such a good season. I loved all the activities leading up to the big day. I loved making molasses cookies for our church teachers. I loved delivering goodies to friends, I loved making and mailing packages, lights on our house, our tree, our solstice party/nativity, reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with Avery... All of it made me happy!
The next day we went to a movie. Us and the Blacks and Grandma went to Coco, and Jim and his dad went to Star Wars.
Evan is the most perceptive child about certain things.
For instance, at the end of Coco, there is a sweet moment that I got tears in my eyes, and Grandma Larsen wiped at some tears in her eyes.
Grandma was in a seat at one end, then there was Andrew and me and Avery and Bailey and Hunter and then Evan...and it was dark...and Grandma was being discreet about wiping her eyes,
but Evan noticed and whispered so loud, "my Grandma is crying! my Grandma is crying!"
Today it snowed and we were nervous about Jim landing and G and G's flight being on time.
But he did and it was, and they are now safe and sound back in the desert.
It was such a good Christmas. I loved it all.
Ps we did two puzzles while they were here.