One of our Christmas trees has made its way to the burn pile for 2016 and the other 3 have been carefully disassembled and stored back in their boxes. Christmas bins have returned to their spot on the highest shelf in the basement and all the Christmas jammies have been washed and stowed away until next year. 2016 has begun and our slate (and home) is clean.
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| I "think" they were tired of having pictures taken |
Christmas Eve we headed to my parents house for dinner and merriment. Their home is over 100 years old and looks like a museum. My parents turned their home into a Christmas wonderland with trees in each room and so many Christmas lights that you'd think the house was on fire if you drove by too quickly. It was absolutely beautiful. Our cousin Alissa stopped by and it was so good to see her. The kids enjoyed coloring with her and they didn't mind that she brought them candy! We ate until our pants felt tight and then we had dessert. We told stories and laughed about the ups and downs of life. We enjoyed Alissa's company as we don't get to see her as often as we'd like.
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| Family |
A pounding on the roof stopped the kids in their tracks as we whispered "It's Santa!." Lila lost interest fairly quickly but Paisley quickly put his hand over his mouth and appeared to almost internally combust. Papaw found the stash of gifts upstairs that Santa must have left for the kids. Paisley and Lila's eyes lit up when they saw their new bikes!!
Lila had been asking for a Hello Kitty bike and Paisley a Ninja Turtle. Their stockings were stuffed with goodies that brought smiles to their faces and the the potential for cavities in the future. Gold wrapping paper flew through the air and the babies were lost behind empty boxes, games and new clothes. Gasps and shrieks could be heard as they uncovered a new item. The adults sat around watching them and catching their excitement of the Christmas spirit.
As time grew later and the eyelids on the littles grew heavy, we packed up our belongings and new bicycles and headed back to the farm. Lila was too sleepy to put out reindeer food but Paisley happily trotted outside with his bag of food and scattered it in the wind. He then beelined it to bed as he didn't want Santa to be waiting on him to go to sleep.
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| Santa came!! |
Christmas morning Scott and I were up before the kids. It was roughly 8am before Paisley strolled in our room and snuggled between us until we heard Lila say, "Mommy!" After retrieving her from her crib the race was on to see what Santa had left in the living room.
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| Christmas morning!! |
Scott and I smiled at one another over the heads of the kids as they excitedly looked at their new toys and pawed through their stockings. Seeing their excitement and happiness was worth every second and penny spent finding those perfect gifts. Paisley helped hand out the packages, it was the first year he could actually read the tags with names on them besides his own. Lila became slightly over-whelmed with all the gifts and new toys and sort of short circuited for a brief period of time.
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| Christmas overload! |
As we finished opening up our gifts Nana and Papaw and Aunt Bunny and Uncle Greg showed up for brunch. Growing up my maternal grandparents always came to our house on Christmas Day and had brunch with our family. We would show Grandma and Grandpa our gifts and just enjoy spending the day with them. It is one of my favorite memories of Christmas Day growing up. Now my children get to have that same feeling on Christmas Day, sharing it with their family and showing them their new gifts. Spending that time with my family, all of them, is the absolute best gift I receive for Christmas.
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| Nana and Papaw with the babies |
The kids had made gifts that they handed out and then we headed outside to enjoy their new swing from their aunt and uncle. I'm not sure I can remember a previous Christmas that was warm enough to play outside. The morning and early afternoon went far to quick and before I knew it the casseroles were consumed, the fruit salad was gone, and the sweets had been picked over. Hugs were given and "Merry Christmas" was wished to all. Our guests headed out the door and the vehicles disappeared down the lane.
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| My Mom & Dad |
As dinnertime grew near we headed to Scott's parents home for dinner and family time. The kids quickly began running with their cousins as the adults caught up on life. We stuffed ourselves yet again and there were more gifts to open. It was a relaxing evening as the kids quieted down and played while the adults sipped wine and soaked up the remaining hours of the holiday.
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| Wrapping up our Christmas Day |
As I put our worn out kids to bed, kissing their sweet heads, I thought about this Christmas in comparison to the past 5. I realized that there wasn't anything especially "special" about this in particular holiday. We weren't newly married, there wasn't a baby joining our family, this wasn't the first Christmas without a loved one, we weren't in a new house for the season...yet here I was happier with this Christmas than any other Christmas. I have my parents. My sister. My husband. My 2 babies. I live in a home that radiates love and warmth. I have everything I need and on this Christmas, I got to enjoy each of those things. I got to share the day with the people I love in the place I love. It was relaxing and peaceful and each moment filled with love and the feeling of the spirit of the season.
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| Every good and perfect gift comes from above... |
I think Dr. Seuss said it best when he said, "Maybe Christmas he thought doesn't come from a store Maybe Christmas perhaps means a bit more."
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