Saturday, December 28, 2013

Christmas at Home, 2013



I have such fond memories of Christmas at home with my little family of four growing up and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to think that one day Josie & Bea will look back on our Christmas mornings the same way. (Ha, even if those Christmas mornings here happen on December 24th rather than 25th.)

The prep work for the big morning is big work around here. In addition to the traditional milk & cookies for Santa, the girls decided a little salad was in order for the Reindeer. They made good use of all the extra herbs still lying around from Thanksgiving and all the greens that would've been wilty by the time we returned home from the holidays. I hope reindeer like kale!

They also made dessert for the reindeer. Their signs were pretty priceless.



Bea sacked out early so Josie had the important task of setting everything up. Venus was *really* excited about a cup full of milk and gave us all a good laugh.

In the morning, the girls awoke at a respectable hour after the sunrise and we got our Christmas Morning on. They found a thank you letter from Santa & the reindeer, an empty salad bowl and nothing but cookie crumbs.

Then I made them pose in front of the tree, because well, that's what you do!

It was a flurry of wrapping and squealing and smiling. And I was having so much fun that I never even got up to grab my big camera.

Josie gifted Bea a glow in the dark marker board so she could make her own "glow in the dark parades" a la DisneyWorld.

We made an epic mess that fanned out across the room and would stay there for the next 10 days. It was awesome.

Then we played and played and played and played. Bea gifted Josie a 'build your own balloon animal kit' that was an instant hit! (These girls really know each other.)

Bea got her "squeaky pig" and was instantly smitten.



Josie loomed til her heart's content and scored some new dress-up clothes for Julie. Our gift to the girls this year was these FAIRYBIRDS wings, headband and book.


It was a perfect, quiet, wonderful Christmas at home. Later that afternoon, we finally made it out of pajamas and out of the sea of wrapping paper to head to Xenia. But that's another post....