Christmas Past

Memories and tidbits from our Christmas this year......

Good times with family.

Meeting a new cousin for the first time.

Our traditional Christmas Eve. seafood dinner.

The invasion of our lives by the well known "Angry Birds."

(Yes, I realize we're behind the times on this one, I'm just thankful we didn't get sucked in sooner.)

 I think they call this male bonding.

The chance to celebrate Jesus' birthday at his house, and a lovely Christmas Program

presented by enthusiastic kiddos. Yes, the Christmas on Sunday thing messed with some of our 

traditions, but it just seemed right to be celebrating Him together!

Prophecy fulfilled! A Savior is born!

 I'm rewriting the old poem to go something like this....

The stockings were hung......

....in hopes that someone else would wrap all those crazy odd shaped trinkets that take f.o.r.e.v.e.r!!

No such luck!

Getting out the door in time for church is crazy enough. These guys were super patient about waiting till 

we got home and not opening a single present in the morning.

You rock guys!!

 I tried a new game plan with the gifts this year. Everyone got 3 gifts, just like Baby Jesus did.

Gift # 1

Books.

 Gift # 2

Something Useful--this year it was slippers.

Aren't they just the cutest little Mater feet you ever saw?

 Gift # 3

A fun toy.

 (Tunes for this boy.)

 And then a moment of panic, when I realize there is only 3 gifts under the tree and there are 4 anxious boys awaiting. My mind scrambles. I can't remember shopping for this boy. I don't remember wrapping for this boy. I try to decide if I should give him the gift intended for his cousin (even though it's not something he really wants and it clearly says someone else' name on it.) HELP! I go back over the list in my head one more time and Whew! I remember. It's still tucked safely in the attic, waiting there patiently since yard sale season last spring. Daddy heads off to retrieve it and the day is saved!

 A perfectly beautiful day for testing out newly acquired golf clubs and bb guns.

 Promises kept.

(When my children begged for funnel cake in the fall I told them that that would be a great 

Christmas vacation treat. Turns out I was right, it made a perfect evening snack along side the 

M&M blizzards. MMmmm!)

 Snugly boys, exhausted from all the festivities.

 A Christmas tree that outlived the season.

I'm a "real tree" kind of girl. I'll clean up the mess in exchange for the fresh pine scent every time but

I just can't get over how well our tree held up this year.

Maybe it's because we bought if from a local farm. (We'll be going back!) Or maybe it's the kind of tree.

(Probably some combination of both of those and more.) But I

think there may be 15-20 needles on the floor now and 

I haven't really swept around it once. It makes me happy!!

  The blessing of being able to give!

It was a Very Merry Christmas indeed!

P.S. The verdict on the 3 gifts plan--it's a keeper!! I love how it simplified things. I love how I didn't feel like I was spending money on toys we really didn't need or stuff that would break next week. I loved that my kids were excited about reading because they were gifted new books. I loved that most of the "fun things" were picked up throughout the year and stashed away (a little too well) so I made it through the entire holiday season without even one trip to the mall! I love that it made it easy to keep things "fair" for all the kids. What are your ideas for keeping Christmas under control at your house?? I'd love to hear about them!