Pictures To Follow

Christmas was wonderful. Exhausting and wonderful. Christmas Eve was fabulous (my mom got me the most wonderful bookcases from Crate and Barrel) and a good time was had by all.

The best way to describe how great Christmas morning was is to say that even now (less than two minutes ago) Maggie is shouting, “Thank you Santa!!!!!” usually followed by, “Where did Santa go? Where did the reindeer go?”

It’s a given that kids don’t want Christmas to end, but it’s even more wonderful when you have them expressing gratitude for their Christmas bounty the day after.

This was the first year that Maggie actually got it and was an active participant in the Christmas festivities. Her wide-eyed amazement was something I will never forget. She was in complete awe from the her stocking to the beautiful, plush, spring pony that Santa left in front of the fireplace with a glittery Santa hat with her name on it. I enjoyed her reaction so much that I forgot to open any of my presents.

We were quick to clean up the wrapping and boxes as family would soon arrive. With the exception of my stuffing (no matter what anyone else says, I don’t think it was very good) every part of the meal was perfect or near-perfect and wonderful.

My mom, MIL, and I stayed up until well past 1am in the family room chatting while the guys hung out in the garage playing darts, smoking cigars, and enjoying the traditional Christmas bottle of Maker’s Mark. Now at 11:20am I’ve only been out of bed for about an hour and Mike has yet to crawl out.

The kids are roaming the house in new clothes enjoying new games and toys, the kitchen is a mess but the leftovers certainly made breakfast easy. I consider cranberry sauce with turkey on a roll along with a big glass of juice to be a wonderful breakfast. Far better than the kids reaching into their stockings to snack on chocolate with hazelnuts.

The rest of the week remains a mystery, whether we drive up to the mountains to play in the snow and hike, or whether we flop around the house in our pajamas - it will all be time well spent.

New Year’s Eve will soon be upon us and with that an even bigger celebration, Maggie’s 3rd birthday. I’m already looking forward to it.