¡Feliz noche buena todos! It is customary for my family to have our big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we open up presents and then the rest of the day is to play with our new toys and wares. 
This year, DH and I are taking the kids to see the Nutcracker and then eating out. Mommy confession of the day: I am enjoying celebrating the holidays just the four of us. DH and I have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, which means we are getting four days off in a row. For us this has meant, four relaxing days of sleeping in, lounging around in our pajamas all day long and watching Christmas movies at night.
It’s been great catching up with one another, something that is difficult to do when the adults are working and the kids are in school. We are creating our own traditions, although it doesn’t mean that extended family is forgotten or not a part of our holiday traditions and memories.
Yesterday Ari asked me if I could crochet because he’s been wanting to make stuffed animals. I told him that I could, recalling the many wonderful crocheting sessions I had with my grandmother. We made a trip to Michaels to pick up yarns and I could feel my kids and my childhood excitement at ogling all the different colors of yarn and textures. Of course, we went with the boldest and brightest!
I taught my kids how to make a basic chain and Ari already knows how to stitch. Meanwhile, I pulled an all-nighter finishing the skirt I made for one of Eli’s dolls. Stay tuned for pics!
It was during these long lessons that I told them about my grandmother, Mamá, how she would teach me over the summers in her Pennsylvania home and together we made table cloths, doilies for the living room coffee table and clothes for my dolls. I reminded myself and — my kids — that even though we are far from family they always live within us.
Merry Christmas everybody! What are your favorite holiday traditions and memories?
It’s Christmas Eve! What time does everybody anticipate being woken up tomorrow morning? We have a rule that it can be no earlier than 7. I wonder if this will be the year they start drifting later than that.
We will be going to my mother’s for dinner. We’ve been watching a lot of movies too. Some holiday (like Elf) and some just fun (Dodgeball!).
LoCa – if you’re reading – I saw a painting online by an artist who inspired the Group of Seven Canadian painters, Tom Thomson. It’s a painting of a lake in Ontario so I thought of you. Really beautiful, I love his work! I wasn’t familiar with it before.
Liza will be at her dad’s so I anticipate Kelly and I will wake up whenever we darn well please LOL.. Liza will come home about 1030 for Christmas day… we’ll do gifts and then go up to my sister in laws for dinner with Kelly’s entire family — the kind of Christmas dinners I dreamed of growing up… over 20 people , Yankee swap, the whole 9 yards..love it.. can’t wait!
Sometime between 7 and 8 I think. DH said he’d hold the kids off until 8 if I don’t wake up before that. I’ll get up with the kids, though, since it’s probably DD’s last Christmas morning as a Santa-believer. I want to see her face!
Today we’re lounging around while DH works from home. I’m so glad he gets to work from home once per week. He switched his usual Friday at home for today. Later we’ll head to church and then finish up with our annual Christmas Eve Sushi Dinner!
Since DS has been home, he woke up yesterday around, I think, 2 p.m.? And so far today, no sign of him yet.
Even for us, which means the bar is looooow, we are having a low-key Christmas. I’m at a low ebb, energy-wise. The tree is up and decorated. I need to dig out the stockings. We have coffee, orange juice, and cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning. And tonight we’ll dine Chinese.
But mostly, DS is home.
Baby bird in the nest = all is right with the world!
I’m all verklempt…so happy for you in this moment and send you many joyful hugs!
Many hugs to you and yours, too! All four home together = wonderful. xoxo
Yes, so wonderful:) I know you are enjoying DS’s break as much as we are enjoying ours! xoxo and mwah!
Yay, so glad you’re enjoying having him home.
Our breakfast will be croissants with marmelade, grapefruit, and the precooked sausage I grabbed at the grocery store today. Didn’t want the usual french toast casserole, and everything else seemed like too much work on Christmas morning.
Same to you! Everyone under one happy roof. How did the first semester for your oldest go this year?
They may not leave their rooms until daylight is unambiguously visible. We specify daylight and not sunlight because last year we had to rule that moonlight doesn’t count despite undeniably being reflected sunlight. This year Santa will be moving their filled stockings into their room.
Good thing you don’t live here. Sun is up at 4:30 these days..
Good thing you don’t live here. Sun is up at 4:30 these days..
Sorry…I’m having trouble posting. It either never posts or it posts twice.
It was a Christmas miracle – I got to sleep until 9 am! I heard the boys wake up at 2 am – turns out they’d set an alarm – and they stayed up and played with their “new” iphones until they fell back to sleep around 5. (You’d think they hadn’t been playing with our iphones all these years.) I’m pretty happy with the bedroom stocking model.
I have teenagers, so, it might be noon. The 16 yo has not been seen before 11 since break started. The 19 year old is pretty excited, so maybe she’ll get us up. Or it might just be the DH or I let the dog out and then decide that everyone has to get up then.
Wouldn’t it be sweet justice to run around and wake everyone up at 6 am!
Our kids get up at various times and are allowed to find their stockings. They do it as a group, take them back upstairs and hole up together in bedroom. It’s a nice bonding time, which allows us time to wake fully, get coffee and gather our wits about us. I’m gonna need to gather my wits this year…a bit of extended family drama which I will share when I have a second (nothing life shattering, but certainly worthy of an Airing Of The Grievances thread:)
Today we’re going to finish wrapping, order Chinese and watch a movie. I’m also making some extra spritz cookies and delivering them to friends with some homemade Irish Cream. I’d be interested in a device which could calculate the incidental calories eaten during baking!
Finally, all the mail order stuff has arrived. DH had to go into work to wait on the mail there, and UPS finally graced us with the final presents for the girls, Toms.
I’ve already napped, next up is peppermint bark, and we’ll be heading out to 9:00 mass. Just couldn’t really face staying up for midnight mass this year.
For once, I would love to make it to an evening carols service. We’re doing the 4:30 pm family service, but I want to try to go back tonight by myself for the 10:30 carols service. DD wants to come with me, but we’ll see how we both fare.
Bakerbaker, were you the one asking about versions of O Come Emmanuel over on FB? Because a beautiful version by Enya just came up on pandora.
5.15 a.m. Jess woke us at 5.15. We made it to 6.45 leaving Lily asleep through an ungodly combination of threats, retributions and bribes of iPad time. Merry Christmas, pass the coffee!!!!!!
xoxo to you all, friends.
Merry Christmas!!
Remembering a particular Christmas…
http://www.thekatiecollins.com/2012/12/24/the-stomach-flu-christmas/
This song by the Bobs has been on my mind all night.