Christmas

Christmas Eve day was spent leisurely.  We had planned to go sledding with cousins but they weren't feeling well.  So the girls and I spend the day finishing odd jobs while Husband slipped away to work for a few hours.  We wrapped presents, freshened some of our decorations and did some cleaning (I told the girls we had to clean the floors before we could put presents under the tree.  They were eager to help.)  Eventually we made our way to Grandma's house and spend the evening there.  We visited the cemetery, as we do every year, to bring a small tree, nativity, candles, and plenty of pine boughs to husband's brother's headstone.  And then we had an amazing dinner with a roasted goose.  The girls ate well, eager to play with cousins and their favorite "grandma house toys".  We kicked off our gift exchange with the traditional Christmas crackers (L and A loved it, E burst into tears at the noise) and had a great time opening the thoughtful, fun gifts from family.  The girls especially loved the barrettes Grandpa made for all the girls and their new tablet devices.

On our reluctant way home we very nearly hit a deer, which sent the girls into a frenzy exclaiming about it being Dasher lost on the road and needing to help him find Santa.  But eventually we arrived home and changed into Christmas pjs.  This was the first year the girls really knew what was coming and anticipated Santa's visit.  So we put out milk and cookies in our new special dishes and read stories as they settled in.  They fell asleep surprisingly quick and slept soundly.

I heard them bounce awake in the morning and they came to our room to announce it was Christmas.  Bursting with excitement they begged to go downstairs and see if Santa came.  I ran ahead to turn on the fireplace and video tape them coming down the stairs, the squealing excitement and the stunned expression as they saw their new doll house.  They exclaimed over the milk and cookies being eaten and their stockings having been filled.  They laughed and shouted to see their Barbies were already sitting in the dollhouse and raced upstairs to the toy room to prove that Santa had taken the dolls from their own collection to set them there.  They unloaded their stockings and we took a break for breakfast eating scrambled eggs and gingerbread man shaped banana bread.  Opening presents was so fun, starting with the girls proudly and excitedly passing out the gifts they had chosen to give.  They opened their Santa gifts, exclaiming over the games and books and especially excited about opening and assembling furniture for their dollhouse.  One of my favorite moments was when E grew tired.  She was cuddled up in Daddy's lap, with her blanket tucking her in.  She snuggled down further, laying across him, put his hand on top of her unopened gift and said, "Daddy you do it.  I sleep."

After all the presents were opened, we piled into the car and made our way to my parent's house.  We arrived just in time to talk to my kid sister over skype and watch her open her Christmas presents.  Then we dressed the girls in their new Sunday dresses to match all of their cousins and had family pictures taken.  Our scheduled photographer went into labor early but with use of a tripod and remote clicker, we got some great pictures.  After pictures, we returned to the house for a Christmas dinner with ham and plenty of tasty sides.  The kids ate well, motivated by the beautifully wrapped present waiting for each of them, sitting in the middle of the table like a centerpiece.

We gathered around the tree and there was a dash to scout out the gifts under the tree and deliver them to the right recipient.  Our little kids were so excited and impatient that it turned quickly into a frenzy of gift opening with lots of laughing and sharing.  The kids played with toys while the adults opened gifts more leisurely, mostly having fun at each other's reactions.  When all the gifts were opened and the room settled in again, Husband and I share a short devotional using the slideshow we had created.  After that, Grammy laid out a buffet of snacks and treats and desserts.  The kids eagerly filled their little plates and made themselves comfortable while we watched Home Alone, thinking it was a Christmas movie that none of them had seen before and would enjoy.

The kids settled into bed surprisingly well and were soon asleep while a few of us adults stayed up to watch Iron Man 3 (it does take place on Christmas after all).

The next morning, we went hoodin', something my Grandpa introduced us to when we were kids and we've had fun introducing to our own kids.  We drove out to a friend's farm to find unplowed roads still covered in snow.  Husband tied his specially designed hood behind the truck (a car hood covered with couch cushions and proper towing hardware.  Grammy and the kids piled onto the hood and we drove up and down the roads, sledding along the open roads.  For some of the cousins, it was their first time and all around, everyone loved it.

Returning to Grammy's house we packed up and moved the party to my brother's house, running a few errands along the way.  We picked up pizzas and arrived at the house.  The kids ate pizza, loved their uncle's in-home soda-on-tap machine and had a blast playing with cousins.  As adults, we lounged around talking, even long past we had put all the kids to bed.

The next morning, E and I slept in to a record 10 am while Husband played with L and A and some cousins in the play room.  My brother made breakfast, much to his wife's delighted surprise, a traditional Swedish dish called evilskevers that her family has every year on Christmas.

We returned to my  mom's house, picking her up, planning to head south to visit Grandma Great for a few days.  But after half an hour in the car, the motion had bothered my mom's recently found hernia so badly that we changed our minds and returned her home, cancelling our trip south.  (Which turned out to be better on our part too since both A and E ended up sick).  So instead we spent the weekend at home, slowly cleaning up the Christmas aftermath and exploring their new toys.