An entire day to admire shiny new toys, eat amazing food, surrounded by pretty things...
whose idea was this modern day Christmas holiday we celebrate?
Some Genius.
I am a Christmas fan, in true commercialized form. I love that jolly man with cherry cheeks, love the stacks of gifts that give fleeting pleasure, love every sweet taste of homemade treats, I savor every moment with my family, and enjoy
LIFE.
I am also a Christ fan. I love Jesus. He fills all my gaps and He gives periods to all my question marks.
But I celebrate both: I celebrate His birth in life moments when I'm inspired to and I also celebrate our excess pleasures of life on December 25th.
I love Jesus and adore the Nativity story. However,
I consider the Christmas holiday a separate event than the sacredness of Jesus' birth and my heartfelt relationship with Christ.
I'm a commercialized American who breathes life into Santa and I'm also a lover of Jesus, I believe my life wouldn't be the same without his birth.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We had a
dreamy Christmas at my parent's home sweet home. We stayed the weekend there and soaked up every second! It's not so
dreamy coming back home to laundry and regular chores
...so YES....all good things come to an end. The anticipation of December days was finally realized on Christmas Eve. We ate trays of appetizers, told stories, sang carols, arranged gifts under the tree, and did lots of kitchen cleaning
all together as a FAMILY.
Chris standing on the counter trying to get our attention as we cook
The boys sung JUST like
Alvin and the Chipmunks for us.
It's TOO FUNNY because each boy's personality
fits the exact character of the 3 chipmunks!
Titus told us all the Christmas story.
Christmas Eve dinner was a variety of appetizers including:
Veggie Pizza
...and ham or turkey pinwheels.
I am a cookie cutter FAN! I love using my cookie cutters for EVERYTHING. I made cheese stars for the cracker and cheese trays.
Too much
exciting energy in the house
with
too many hours still to wait for these little guys!
We sang carols as Chris led us in
"Silent Night".
And the boys used their little bells to shake for
"Jingle Bells".
More singing and laughing...
I surprised the boys with new stuffed animal puppies
before they went to bed.
I gave each puppy a name and labeled their bed basket and water dish.
Boys with their new puppies and traditional new Christmas Eve jammies!
(No more pictures Mom, we really just want to play)
They jumped on the table and left Santa his
milk and cookies and Kotah wrote a little note with extra care.
They were actually excited to crawl under the covers
in hopes that morning would soon arrive.
After they were all snuggly and asleep with sugarplums dancing in their heads, we tiptoed around upstairs
creating some pretty package magic!
Sooo much excitement and fun neatly wrapped up under the tree!
When the boys go to sleep on Christmas Eve, no gifts are under the tree. ALL the gifts are there to surprise them with a special presentation when they wake up Christmas morning.
Ribbon and bows
and colors and sparkles
and pretty tags and shiny paper
and glitter and glam
...it only happens ONCE a year
so time to make it EXTRA special
for this EXTRA special thing
we live called LIFE.
Ruffle ribbon. Love that.
...Ready for a long winter's night.
(this photo was taken at our home before we headed over to my parent's for mine and Chris' holiday date)
Finally the house is still. All is calm, all is bright.
The kids came in to wake us at 4am...and again at 4:30, and again at 5am,
repeat, repeat, repeat. With minimal sleep in
true and typical Christmas night style, we finally greeted Christmas morning!
Kotah excited to find gifts with his name on them!
Surprises!
Toys, toys!
Cookie break...
Onto dinnertime stuff....
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without PRIME RIB! The smell of it IS Christmas to me. Here is our Prime Rib dinner menu:
Our Holiday Dinner Menu 2010
Seasoned Prime Rib
Honey Ham
Orange Glazed Carrots
Party Cream Potatoes
Cauliflower in Swiss Cream Sauce
Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Homemade Butter Crescent Rolls
Tangy Grape Southern Salad
Frozen Mocha Dessert Loaf
Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake
3 Layer Eggnog Spice Cake
Yes, my Mom and I make it all. Yes, the men in our family tell us we don't "HAVE" to do it...
that they would be fine with just the meat. Yes, we never listen. Yes, it matters to make it all a big deal.
I freaking LOVE doing this stuff...that's why.
Orange Glazed Carrots
Cauliflower with Swiss Cream Sauce
Doubling up on the Party Potatoes
because it's everyone's favorite part.
Cranberry Almond Spinach
with Poppy Seed Dressing
Hey lovers, this is dessert...
Frozen Mocha Loaf
My Mom's 3 layer Eggnog Spiced Cake
and my Dark Chocolate Bundt cake...
Ready for
family time around the table...
A
lovely end to a
lovely day....
It's all about the fun we have,
every moment.
It's all about the beauty we create,
at every chance given.
It's all about making our heart laugh,
each minute.
This is Christmas for us.
It really is the best day of the year.
Magic happens
if we create it.
MOORE Christmases past:
This post is linked to: DIY Showoff, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, It's so Very Cheri, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin It, Funky Junk Interiors, Fabulous Friday Finds, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up
(image found on google and is not my own)
