Around Here Week 52 Part 2 (Christmas!): 12/24-12/25

 A peek into the MAGIC that fills our home these holidays with FIVE true believers.

Saying goodbye to Marco our elf. He brings our hidden baby Jesus(es) to the managers on Christmas eve morning as is his tradition. Our bigger manager was stacked full of straw (notes of kind things the kids did all month) to make it Soft Enough For a King. Marco left us a cinnamon bundt cake (ahem, half of one that was left over from Dad's work holiday party) so that we could sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus. At night, Violet and Rusty were in sobbing tears over Marco leaving and going back to the North Pole! It took a few hugs and a reminder that we still needed to put out the magical Reindeer dust to lasso them both back into happy Santa thoughts. 

Attending car church for Christmas eve mass. Along with dozens of other families, we parked in a local cemetery and watched/listened to mass through the windshield wipers in the rain through our truck front window. It was actually quite lovely and to have five squirmy kids in a place where they weren't disturbing other parishioners was kind of are relief. We still got all dressed up (even though we didn't get out of the car) and sang along with the hymns and received communion through the window! 

Dropping off some holiday cheer in the neighborhood. We delivered cookies and cards to our closest neighbors. We also dropped off notes to the houses in our neighborhood who have beautiful light displays and decorations. It takes a lot of work to get all those lights strung up and we like letting our neighbors know how grateful we are that we get to drive by them during the holidays!

Relishing in all the Christmas eve excitement with FIVE true believers. We had stockings to set up and magic reindeer dust to sprinkle in the yard. Abba read the Night Before Christmas to the kids over zoom and we asked Alexa a million times which country Santa was in at any given moment. Grey is teetering so close to the edge of Santa belief (it actually feels like sometimes he's faking it just for us - LOL), but I was grateful to have all believers even if it's the last time. We still have a L.O.N.G. way to go with little believers (haha! one isn't out in the world yet!) and for that I am thankful too - I'm not ready to move on from this childhood magic. 

Staying up late to wrap (every.single.thing) while Brandon went on a top secret mission to pick up the guinea pigs at my sister's house (thank you for piggy babysitting Aunt Kitty!) B and I also, got all the food prepped and the table set for Christmas breakfast at our house with grandparents . 

Sidestepping a disaster when at midnight Brandon returned from picking up the pigs and the dogs started barking like crazy because of the car pulling in. I was wrapping gifts downstairs, so I went to peek on the kids upstairs and lo and behold - Gemma, Violet, and Greyson were trying to wake Rusty up because they thought it was morning!! HAHAHAHAHAHA. I was like, um, NO. I had to convince them that they'd only been asleep for like an hour and I was just finishing the ham in the crockpot (which was the explanation as to why I was still downstairs).  Good grief. It was ridiculous. 

Thankful for Pinterest (yet again) to help design my "fancy" Christmas breakfast table which was one of my 100 small things from 2020. With just three mini white candles, red paper napkins, gold mini throwaway plates, and some garland I repurposed from our window to the table centerpiece - I had a fancy-ish looking set up that made the kids ooh and ahh.

Wearing matching jammies! I ordered our pine cone family pajamas from The Elephant Organics (right around cyber Monday so I got a great deal!) and they are so comfy and all the kids were pleased with the design I picked. I liked that they aren't specifically Christmas, so we can wear them all winter long. 

Keeping it small with holiday visits. Christmas day is normally a big event with 3-4 houses/meals to share with extended family and friends and usually stretches from Christmas eve to 12/26 (at least) with holiday parties and visits. But we had a very lowkey Christmas eve with just us and then Christmas was breakfast at our house, then for lunch at Pappy and Gigi's, and finally dinner at Abba and Chum's. And truly, it was quite lovely. We missed our extended family of course (and I'm thinking of planning a Christmas in July picnic to make up for it!) but it was also kind of refreshing to stay close and cozy and relaxed with just immediate family. 

Making ham in the crockpot, overnight breakfast burritos, cheesy potatoes, and Christmas tree shaped cherry cream cheese Danishes for Christmas breakfast.