Christmas 2016

Well, hey there. How’s the Christmas hangover treating you? Just me or do you want to spend the entire week after Christmas curled up on the couch in your pajamas eating salad (because you’ve had so much junk) and watching Netflix? Oh, and I also want a magic wand that will put away all of my Christmas decor for me because the second everyone leaves my house on Christmas night I start feeling itchy to get it put away.

I have problems, I’m aware.

But anyways, how was your Christmas?

Ours was absolutely magical. There’s something so incredibly special about having kids around the holidays, and it seems to get better and better every year. Jackson was all about the whole Christmas thing this year, and he could barely contain his excitement for Santa, presents, family, and learning about baby Jesus. It was the sweetest thing ever to see and I’m getting a little teary just thinking about how wonderful it was to experience the holidays through his eyes.

I didn’t get many pictures this year (especially on my real camera) because I made a concerted effort to be as present and “in the moment” as I could throughout the weekend. It always seems like a bit of a catch-22 to me – I want to have a ton of pictures to look back on and the photos always make me so happy, but I also want to step away from my phone and the camera and just be there. I haven’t found the perfect balance yet…if you have any genius tips for me on how to manage it all, I’d love to hear!

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents’ house and, as usual, their home was full of memories and nostalgia and general cheer. Our Christmas Eve tradition is to make a big, fancy meal with a totally different theme each year. This year was Mexican food, so we created a giant taco bar with three types of meat, every topping you could possibly imagine, and enough sides to feed two or three small armies. I don’t know why we always insist on having enough food to feed a group three times our size, but it seems to happen every year.

Oh well, I’m not complaining. #leftovers.

We always open presents from everyone other than our immediate families on Christmas Eve, and before we do it we read the story of Christ’s birth from Luke and sing Christmas songs. I remember as a child being so impatient to just get through that part of the evening so we could open presents, but as I’ve gotten older it has become the time of the day that I cherish the most. I get chills as we pass around the Bible and take turns reading, and my heart feels so full to be in a room filled with the people I love the most singing our little hearts out. We’ve also started a tradition where my dad (and anyone else in the family who plays an instrument and wants to join in) plays a song or two on his violin. There isn’t much in this world I love more than sitting and watching him play for the family, and I just know those moments will be the ones I’ll hold on to forever.

Sorry, sappy. I know. It’s Christmas – I can’t help it.

Christmas morning was the most fun one we’ve ever had. Jackson was so excited that Santa had actually come and did you see he ate the cookies and oh look he drank all the milk and he took the crackers for the reindeer and and and – I thought his tiny little brain was just going to explode right out of his head. It was the sweetest thing in the world, and he was actually so excited about his presents that he got a little overwhelmed with it all. We took a very leisurely approach to gift opening, and he took multiple breaks throughout the morning to play with his toys for a while before going back to open another gift. It was so wonderful to see him want to stop and engage with his toys for a while before moving onto the next one, and I loved the slow approach to Christmas morning – I’m sure it won’t last for many years, so I’ll definitely soak that one up while I can.

We spent a lot of time over the weekend playing games, watching Christmas movies (it’s not Christmas day until I’ve watched A Christmas Story!), and just enjoying each other’s company. There was lots of laughter, so much joy, and enough love to make your heart feel so incredibly full.

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas?

Corey doesn’t have to work today (I have all week off) so we’re spending the day hitting up a few after-Christmas sales (Target is calling my name), possibly going to see a movie, and taking our car to the shop because it broke down on us on the way to my parent’s house on Christmas Eve (Merry Christmas to us). Keep your fingers crossed for me that it’s not as expensive as the last time we had to take it in…I love my little Prius but I swear it’s the most high-maintenance car in the world.

I’ll be taking it pretty easy the rest of this week, but I have a couple of posts still up my sleeves for you before the new year! I hope your Christmas was just as delightful as ours was – I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m so blessed to share this little corner of the internet with so many wonderful people, and I’m grateful every day for your continued support. I love you guys!

Sorry…sappy again.

But seriously. Love you.

Merry (day after) Christmas!