Christmas (Part Two)

At our house, no one gets out of bed until we hear Santa's bell and his hearty "Ho-ho-ho!" as he leaves our house.  Henry has slept through this the past few years, but he was awake and out his door and clambering down the steps in no time this year.  

Gene went to the coffee machine while Will went the the mantel and grabbed all the stockings.   

Even Ruby got treats.

Lucky girl

Magic cards for Will 

A paint set for Henry

Socks with Ruby's face on them for Gene

Dragonwatch #3 

Magic break

and a break for breakfast (French toast casserole)

Books for everyone 

Cuff links for Gene

It was a great Christmas morning at home! Around lunchtime, we picked up the house a bit and loaded up the car for the rest of Christmas day at Nana and Pop's house.  

With 11 of us, it's organized chaos, but always so much fun!

Books! 

Mary picked out gifts with her own money this year.

D&D items plus homemade bags (from Aunt Jess) to hold everything!

The annual family photo book 

David loves llamas!

After present opening, it was time to start on dinner. Nancy made her traditional standing rib roast with sides of Brussels sprouts, baked oysters, corn pudding and crispy potatoes.  For dessert, we enjoyed bilharacos (butternut squash doughnuts).  

What a delightful Christmas! We are so lucky to be surrounded by family.

Christmas (Part One)

Christmas is always our favorite time of year -- we have a break from school and work and we get to spend time with our families. 

Each year, we celebrate Lille Julaften (or Christmas Eve eve) with my parents on the 23rd. The food varies but this year, we had brisket and BBQ fixings and it was such a hit that we'll probably repeat the meal again next year.  

Some photos of the day:

Cordial cherries for Grampa

Will got Eldritch Horror, a game he had been talking about for months.

Henry got the Keeper of the Lost Cities series.  

Wine stopper for Gramma and Grampa

And the annual photo book -- truly a miracle they got finished this year!

Christmas Eve:  Will convinced Gene and Henry to play Eldritch Horror

Fancy afternoon coffee

The boys finally learned to tie a tie before Christmas Eve Mass.

After Mass, we ate our traditional codfish dinner at Gene and Nancy's.  We even found time to snap a couple of family photos in front of the tree.

Back home, we set out cookies and milk for Santa

and scattered reindeer food on the lawn for his helpers.  

And finally, on the evening before Christmas, we all finally felt full of Christmas spirit.   

Getting Ready for Christmas

This year, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was only 26 days, making December feel rushed and hectic for everyone. We picked out our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and got to work decorating the house.  

Holiday cheer

Gene purchased some new outdoor decor to replace broken items. Henry insisted on riding the reindeer every time he went outside.  

Frosty came back... a couple of days late. The holiday season must have gotten to him too! 

Frosty tried to help address our Christmas cards, which got out before Christmas (just barely).  

Even with the busy-ness, we did find time for some holiday traditions, like the annual V&E gingerbread party. There is so much to do at the party, but the boys just want to eat brunch and decorate their houses.  They were so careful this year! 

A new holiday tradition is the Christmas concert at Kinkaid.  Will plays in the orchestra and they are really quite good!

We also celebrated the December birthdays on the 21st. Happy birthday to Mary and Mike!

Holiday stresses?  Grab a dog for some comfort

or a cup of hot coffee (or cocoa) with whipped cream on top!

Here's hoping you all survived the short holiday season of 2019!