We returned home from the weekend at my parents for another
busy week of packing and then the girls had been stayed at my mom’s house over
the weekend while moved. We joined them
late Sunday night, well after bedtime but eager to spend all of Christmas Eve
with them. So we managed to sleep for
awhile and then got to be showered with cuddles from our happy girls in the
morning. Plus, it was Christmas Eve! We
were done with all the moving and packing and ready to focus on this wonderful
celebration. After breakfast and baths,
we headed out for some last minute shopping.
Butterfly had been thinking and planning, telling me gifts that she
wanted to buy and make for members of the family and I was delighted by her
generous spirit. We wandered the toy
aisle, letting the girls pick things out and hide them under their jackets in
the cart (just the way I remember my siblings and I would do on Christmas Eve). Then we met my brother and his family for
lunch at Carl’s Jr. where the girls were thrilled to run and play with their
cousins. (This was also reminiscent of
one of my childhood Christmas traditions.
Every Christmas Eve we delivered gifts to a family in need and then went
out for burgers.)
We returned home and after a failed attempt at naps, we
wrapped presents (Butterfly is getting pretty good at it, Ladybug is the
official “taper” and Lovely managed to make a huge tangled mess of herself in
the tape). For dinner we made an amazing
feast. A friend had given us an Omaha
basket for Christmas: 2 steaks, 2 lobster tails, 2 salmon filets and
cheesecake. We added two more tails, a
bag of shrimp, rolls and fresh veggies and it was wonderful. After dinner the
doorbell rang and the girls raced to answer it.
At the door they found a present for each of them and a small baby
Jesus. The opened their presents, donned
the new pajamas and then using the Fisher Price nativity set, sat down to tell
the story of Jesus’ birth. Daddy began
reading it from the scriptures and the girls and I moved the characters into
place. But soon Butterfly took over the
narration and with wonderful storyteller flair in her descriptions and voice,
she told us the story. (she makes me melt!)
We put the girls to bed and as soon as we were sure they were asleep, we
began our wrapping frenzy. (a few weeks
ago, Husband and I watched The Avengers,
it was the first “big kid” movie we have ever watched on our big screen tv
despite having it for a year and a half.
But we took advantage of an evening without kids and watched it with
full volume. But since then, we are now having
to watch all the movies that should have led up to it.) so we put in Captain America and by the end of the
movie, I was almost done wrapping gifts.
We managed half of Thor before
we were finished and ready for bed.
I awoke to hear little feet racing up the stairs and dashed
to retrieve her. Soon we wandered up the
stairs together to watch their beautiful faces in anticipation and then
astonished joy at the sight of all those presents under the tree. We started with our stockings and the girls
were so wonderfully adorable, so genuinely thrilled with each new discovery and
having equal joy in helping their mom, dad, Grammy and Papa open theirs
too. (However, Daddy and my stockings
were not the usual trinkets and small useful items. Instead they each held a ticket to see Les
Miserable in a few months—Husband’s favorite play. Good call Santa.) J After stockings, we had a huge Christmas
breakfast with cinnamon rolls and omelets with all our favorite toppings. Then we settled down to open presents and had
such a wonderful morning. I loved the
girls expressions, their gratitude and delight with each gift. But especially touching was the joy they
obviously found in giving. They eagerly
gave presents they had made or chosen to everyone else and waited excitedly for
them to open it. They had to try on all
their new clothes and quickly changed into their new pajamas and slippers that
they found under the tree. They cuddled
and hid in the new quilts I had made for them and happily looked through their
new books. Lovely opened a few presents
and was content to just play with those so sisters had to help her open a few
remaining gifts. But she got overwhelmed
quickly and was soon ready for a nap while the big girls finished giving their
gifts, playing with their new treasures and helping clean up the paper
explosion. (PS, Husband has outdone himself
once again with an amazing gift.
Thoughtful, creative, meaningful and so brilliant that I almost don’t
dare admit it. But I will. He enrolled us in a ballroom dance class!)
Soon we packed our new treasures into the car, buckled the
girls in and drove to our new temporary home at Grandma and Grandpa’s
house. The girls were thrilled, happily
exploring and investigating their new room.
We wrapped a few more presents for a gift exchange with Grandma and
Grandpa and again, I relished in the generous spirit of my kids. We spent the evening playing with our new
treasures, doing laundry, unpacking, organizing and sharing in the Christmas
feast Grandma prepared with a traditional Christmas goose. After so much excitement across many days,
the girls settled into bed easily and slept well. Except Lovely who awoke disoriented in the
night and eventually I brought her to our bed for cuddling.
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