I truly love Christmas as a parent. creating the magic for our own family is such a gift. it can also be a tricky balancing act to keep Jesus at the center of the celebration, and to make each child feel truly seen and cherished without blowing the budget and filling up the house with more and more STUFF. one of my favourite childhood memories is going on Christmas dates with my dad to buy gifts for the rest of the family (and to go out to dinner at my choice of restaurant!), and we've continued that tradition with our girls. they are always so excited to give their gifts and it's been a tangible reminder that the thought and effort that goes into the gifts is equally important as the gift itself.
this year, there was plenty of church involved with Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday and Christmas Day falling on a Monday. as Catholics, we are obligated to attend Christmas mass and also Sunday mass. I love the beauty and uniqueness of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, but am not willing to brave it by myself with four littles (also knowing that that would mess up their sleep schedules on Christmas Day itself). so, we went to mass twice on Christmas Eve, first in the morning for Sunday with the Sunday readings, and then in the late afternoon for Christmas vigil. these rules may seem arbitrary, but I truly appreciate the wisdom of the church in ensuring that we are reorienting our hearts and spirits heavenward during this busy time. of course, I failed to get a family photo both times. there's always next year!
after coming home from mass, we had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of clam chowder, and then the girls opened up their new ornaments and placed them on the tree. after much excited speculation about what would happen the next day, the girls finally fell asleep and Santa stopped by!
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| timestamp 12:51 AM... not too shabby |
the next morning we had a short window to open gifts before Nick needed to leave again to play for Christmas Day services. most of the gifts are labeled from Nick and I, but Santa brings the girls whatever they requested when they got their pictures with him and we usually save those presents for last. Santa had to do some quick reconnoitering this year when Cece asked for "an American Girl doll that looks like me" five days before Christmas (instead of the hoverboard she had consistently said she was planning to ask for, and which at that very moment was safely hidden at our neighbor's house). cue frantic searching online until the wee hours with the final conclusion that there is no way any American Girl doll would be shipped to our house in time for Christmas from the actual American Girl website, let alone one that looked like her. I did find one being sold through Amazon that kind of looked like her and came equipped with soccer gear, but it was twice as much as I was hoping to pay. finally, I happened to look on Facebook Marketplace, and thanks be to God, someone local was selling an Emily doll in like-new condition along with several outfits and accessories. (Emily was sold as a companion doll to Molly McIntyre, and I was able to find an original Emily book to go along with her!) we made the exchange in a Rite Aid parking lot and I thanked her profusely for saving Christmas.
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| blurry but somehow perfectly captures that Christmas morning excitement! |
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| I'm a big fan of consumables in stockings! |
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| Greta bought this mug for Nick because it has a red truck on it, just like his! |
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| Santa brought Greta an indoor basketball hoop complete with sound effects and a score counter |
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| Cece found the perfect gifts for Nick (the hat has an LED headlamp) |
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| Emily did not leave her side for the rest of the week! |
then the girls and I ate breakfast while Nick headed out to play for Christmas morning mass. when he returned, we drove out to his parents' house for more Christmas celebrations. I greatly enjoyed breaking in my gift from Nick, a new iPhone that was a several-model upgrade from my old one!
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| Greta borrowed my new phone to take some pictures |
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| heart eyes for days! |
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| poor Elizabeth was devastated that she wasn't allowed to scarf down the Reese's peanut butter Christmas trees out of other people's stockings |
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| these (new!) boots were made for walking |
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| sweet moments with the girls' great-grandfather |
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| Emily got in on the board game action |
after we returned home, we spread out the remaining gifts for days. growing up, we referred to gifts from out-of-town family as "foreign presents". it's still a little bizarre to me that now the gifts from my own nuclear family are the "foreign presents"! this is what we get for living across the country from them :)
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| some gift highlights: Sharkeez sandals (all the rage among the tween crowd) and a jacket she will ACTUALLY WEAR (!!!!) from my mom |
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| this cookbook was written by the owner of our favourite Italian restaurant growing up! |
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| my sister got Nick this incredibly detailed model of his 1963 Ford Galaxie. |
all in all, it was a wonderful Christmas holiday. the older I get, the more I appreciate the richness of the liturgical year. Christmas Day is just the beginning of the season, not the culmination! we still get to celebrate through January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, and technically, Christmastide lasts until February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (also called Candlemas). of course, January brings new rhythms and a chance to reset, but it's a special gift to know that we don't have to squeeze everything in by December 25!
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