Another Christmas, come and gone...
I haven't posted in awhile for two reasons -
1. I didn't want to lose the picture of me at the top (totally selfish, I know!)
2. I was busy with Christmas. I LOVE Christmas!!
We had various activities here in the Solo household. Christmas parties, cookie decorating, caroling, church services... the same as across the world. As we were singing in church on Christmas Eve and I looked around, seeing lots and lots of friends and their children, I was filled with amazement. I was wondering how many people across the world were singing Christmas carols at that exact same time. All singing, all joyous, all for the same reason. I'm sure the angels loved it.
Molly did not have an extravagant Christmas list. An Easy Bake oven and Connect 4, which she got, and he threw in the Polly Pocket Jet for good measure.
Do you wonder who is taking the pictures? We have the best neighbor in the world, Rebecca. Not ONLY did she wrap all of the gifts and hide them at her house, but they came over before 7 on Christmas morning armed with a camera and fresh quiche for breakfast!! Boy are we going to miss her and Jim when we move....they are irreplaceable.
Michael had a short list, too. He asked for Lincoln Logs, Battleship, and Sorry. Santa delivered. It will be a sad, sad year when they ask for expensive gifts!! We are encouraging them to stay young and little as long as we can. They grow up only too fast....
Christmas is a funny time when you have kids. I think the best quote was from Michael as he was dumping out his stocking. Our kids get very little candy, so the contents are a bit..."different" from most stockings, I'm sure. Michael shouts out "YES!! My favorite MEAT!!" Santa had delivered some beef jerky. I had to sit there and laugh out loud at that one.
As I sit here and think about Christmas and all that we've done, I will have several favorite memories. A childhood favorite memory is watching out the door to see my grandparents driving down from Amherst, MA. They would have stopped by my aunts and uncles in northern VA and picked up all of the presents and be arriving like Santa's sleigh down the old dirt road. Grandma would have a blanket on her lap and Grandpa would be driving, because she never learned to drive. Can you imagine that today? We would all bound out of the house for hugs, kisses, and of course, to help unload all of those presents!!
An old-ish favorite memory is caroling at the VA hospital in OH with Chris's office. I love carols.
Now we are making new memories. I wonder if my kids will remember they got to eat dinner in their pajamas on Christmas night, and they didn't get dressed for 3 days because they were busy playing!?
Now, my friends, here is my question for you. What do you remember most about Christmas past, and what do you hope your family will remember about Christmas present?? (Even though I'm sure what our families will remember is NOT what we had planned for them to remember!!)
9 people tasted this cookie:
My paternal grandparents have everyone over on Christmas Eve. It's the only time out of the year that whole side of the family is together. My grandmother always plays a trick on someone (Bryan and my dad are her current two favorite targets) and she makes us play some corny games. This is the first year that Jonathan stayed awake for the whole thing and it was WONDERFUL.
As for Christmas present, I hope Jonathan remembers the little things, like Brick the Elf on the Shelf and decorating the Christmas tree and the notes that Santa leaves with the empty cookie plate.
I think it's awesome that you are keeping your kids innocent as long as possible. I think their Christmas lists are charming, much more so than if they were comprised of a bunch of electronic gadgets!
We would all gather at my great-grandmother's place...a tiny 1-bedroom apartment in the projects. Without the kids noticing, all the adults would gather in the small kitchen, leaving the living room and stairs open to the kids. Suddenly, and without warning, everyone would hear a giant crash near the front door. My great-uncle Bill would be at the top of the stairs throwing handfuls of change against the front door and into the living room! It was a firestorm of money, and the kids would scrambel to gather all they could before the change storm ended. What fun!
Oh, that last comment was mine.
And here I thought I had another comment and got all hopeful...
and it's SCRAMBLE btw.
But thanks, honey. I appreciate the blogging encouragement.
When I was growing up, on Christmas Eve after dinner my sister, Shannon, and I would get to open one present (which my mom would ALWAYS pick out & happened to always be from our dog). Inside the package was ALWAYS new pj's, which we would wear to bed. This is so we looked nice for pictures in the morning, personally I think we should have gotten a hairbrush or a hat (we always had bad cases of bed head!Hee! Hee!). Chad & I now have passed this tradition down to the kids.
As far as Christmas present, I hope the kids remember baking cookies together, making a gingerbread house each year, and "tracking" santa on the computer with Chad on Christmas Eve.
I am glad that your Christmas was good and Santa was good to everyone.
(And yes, we live close to I-70).
- Steph =)
Sounds like a great Christmas!!! And i'm gonna enjoy the heck outta those "cheap christmas lists" too!
My favorite? The one present I ever had my heart set on as a kid. A BRAND NEW FROGGER WATCH. And I got it!
My favorite moment during Christmas was having to play in the basement after dinner on Xmas eve until Santa came/went. We heard the bells and RAN upstairs. Those bells hang in my aunt/uncle's hall all year long, but they only ring when Santa makes them :)
My favorite moment during Christmas was having to play in the basement after dinner on Xmas eve until Santa came/went. We heard the bells and RAN upstairs. Those bells hang in my aunt/uncle's hall all year long, but they only ring when Santa makes them :)
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