Christmas week 2012

We started out Christmas week with our annual tradition of fondue on Christmas Eve Eve, and then opening presents at our home on Christmas Eve.

 

My family created our own wrapping paper from paper bags and Christmas cards, and we’ve continued the tradition, though I added in getting butcher paper for a bit of extra color.  Princess loves this tradition because it gives her quite a lot of places to color on.

 

We take turns opening presents with the person who last opened picking the present that will be opened next.

 

My kids were quite excited for Jeff to open his presents from them.  That’s one of the things I love about our kids, they can’t wait to see what you got as well as what they got.  They eagerly shove presents at you saying “Open what I got!  Open what I got!”  Jeff got quite a few new mini-figures for gaming with lots of hints “That would be good for a game with kiddos…..”

 

They all did a great job picking out presents for each other.  As you can see from the happy faces here, no one was disappointed with what their brother or sister gave.  Unlike another year where Superman tricked my Mom into believing Princess really wanted a hero Lego set.  That set was returned for a different present.

 

From there we went to my brother’s church for Christmas Eve service, it was fun to see my brother get embarrassed as he wore an adult onesie pajamas.  I loved seeing the kids excited and participating in the service, and the boys were excited to light candles this year.  Princess was more worried about playing with her baby cousin.

 

More present opening, we got some new games.  Batman got some fun science kits.  Princess got some American Girl doll stuff, which is going to be part of upcoming school lessons.  Oh, and the kids all got digital cameras which they have loaded up with SO many pictures.

And after the present opening we had the GREAT NERF fight!  Yes, everyone got a small Nerf gun in their stocking from AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER.  I have NO IDEA how they got there.  I might have suggested the boys bring their big Nerf guns…….  There also might have been a “bash Uncle Sean” fight with Uncle Sean grabbing whatever ammunition he could find, random streamers, books (much to my Mom’s dismay), and it continued on for quite a while.

We got up to my in-laws in Dallas to experience our FIRST WHITE CHRISTMAS!  I know the kids haven’t had one before, and I’m not really remembering one of my own either.  It started snowing right before we pulled into their house.  The boys happily ran outside with socks on their hands for mittens.  Which not too surprisingly ran through the supply of socks I’d packed VERY quickly.

 

The snow stayed around for a couple of days, so the kids got lots of chances to go outside and play in the snow.  Including building their very own first snowmen.

 

Of course there was lots of time spent with family.  Playing new games, trying to put together presents, and taking lots of pictures with their new cameras.

 

All in all, I’d say this was a good Christmas.

 

Did you have a good Christmas?  We just got back home today, and now we have to spend the day cleaning and getting ready for people to come over tonight, not too surprisingly we left the house in a bit of a mess.  Though I’m very proud of my kiddos for cleaning up the family room very quickly without complaining.  They’re currently putting together a new Lego set one of the boys got.