Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's...

We had an amazing and relaxing morning at our house opening presents, playing with new toys, making and eating Swedish Pancakes, napping (well, for Adam) and cleaning up piles of colorful and vibrant scraps of wrapping paper.  It was probably our most relaxing Christmas morning yet and we cherished every moment of it.  After we were all rested, cleaned up and caffeinated (thank you Starbucks for being open!) we headed on out to Grandma and Grandpa’s for a wonderful Christmas celebration!

We were so happy to have my Aunt Anne and Uncle Jim there to celebrate with us.  Though sadly Adam started to feel a bit under the weather so he wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about opening presents as he had been earlier that morning and actually requested to go up for another nap...

 

Not to worry though, as Adam napped we all swapped gifts with everyone getting exactly what they wanted.  While we were sad that Adam was up napping, it was fun to be able to focus our attention on sweet Olivia who never stopped smiling all afternoon!

Fortunately after a little snack and some play time in the basement with Olivia and Uncle Mark, Adam seemed right as rain and ready to join the family for a wonderful feast.  As per usual, Adam gave a wonderful blessing, being sure to give his thanks for his family and, of course, for Santa! 

After dinner Adam was ready to dig into his presents.  So happy to see him feeling better and enjoying the final moments of a fabulous Christmas. 

Christmas morning...

I felt like a little kid on Christmas, awaking at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00 and then finally a long stretch of sleep until 7:15!  I’ll admit when I saw the clock at a little past 5:00 I questioned whether that was too early to turn on “A Christmas Story” and thus awake the family…according to Andy I chose wisely by rolling over and falling back asleep for a couple hours…

What can I say, I was so excited for Adam to see what Santa had brought and to experience Christmas morning with him.  Even at age 3 he was so in tuned with everything that was going on and knew very well that any bump or thump he heard or any jingle bell ringing was a true sign that Santa was there dropping off presents for one of the sweetest most loving little boys in the world…

 

When it was finally time to wake up we were all so excited about what the morning might bring, and Adam was so patient watching “A Christmas Story” while Daddy whipped up some chocolate milk, coffee, and mimosas.  When we finally got the word that it was time to come on down, neither Adam or I could contain our excitement, both of us like kids on Christmas morning…with only one of us actually fitting the bill…

 

 

Pictures on the stairs...

The tradition of a picture on the stairs dates back until before I was born.  I’m sure so many of you hold the same tradition and in all the traditions in my life, I don’t think there is a greater one in my book.  It holds such amazing memories, Christmas mornings spent at Wintergreen where we’d be tasked with playing Trivial Pursuit before heading downstairs, or Christmas mornings on Bradford Court where we’d already see friends in the street riding their new bikes and unicycles, and then our own mornings in both our condo (without stairs, sniff!) and then our townhouse where we’ve recreated those magical moments. The anticipation mounting as we all wait to see the gifts under the tree and stockings filled with trinkets and ornaments…the magic of Christmas resides in those few moments of mystery, sitting on the stairs and not knowing what a sneak peak around the corner might reveal…

Prepping for Santa...

With Santa only hours from take-off we knew there was much to do to prepare for his arrival.  After saying goodnight to the family we scurried upstairs to get our Christmas pj's on.  Everyone seemed happy and cozy in their new jammies.  Adam insisted that in addition to Santa's cookies that we be sure to put out apples for the reindeer, specifically mentioning that Rudolph would probably prefer a red apple (I love this kid!!) 

 

After putting out our plate of cookies and apples we headed upstairs to read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," another holiday tradition.  Adam loved repeating, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" 

 

And then it was off to bed, for Adam knew Santa wouldn't arrive until he was fast asleep...

So long Al...

Al was such a great house guest the last month, always popping up in new and creative places, even making trips to the camper or to Grandma & Grandpa's to be sure he was always keeping an eye on Adam.  We knew he'd have to head back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, so we were sure to have Adam say goodbye until next year...he even got to give him a Christmas Eve hug and kiss! Al sent a very sweet note with Santa so he could say a proper goodbye to Adam...

 

Dear Adam, I enjoyed watching over you this holiday season - you were such a good boy! I will spend some time with Santa, my friends, & family at the North Pole now, but don't worry, I'll be back next year! Stay safe, keep out of trouble and be kind! Love Al, the Elf!

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve Feast...

We love hosting Christmas Eve dinner and were excited that in addition to Ommy and Poppy coming over we were also able to welcome Uncle John, Auntie Amy and cousins Nick and Sam (Drew was soaking up the sun in Florida.) 

We cooked up an Italian feast starting with a bright and colorful (and delicious!) antipasta platter.  We served up a beet and goat cheese salad with toasted pecans and experimented with two new pasta dishes: crab and ricotta stuffed shells (adapted from this recipe) and Cannelloni alla Sorrentina (adapted from this recipe).  For dessert Amy brought along a tirramisu cheesecake which was as delicious as it looked. 

The cousins had fun and even though they are much older, Nick and Sam were so great to play with Adam all night long. I've never heard Adam giggle so much, he really loves his older cousins. 

Meanwhile the adults enjoyed catching up and even though we had hoped we could spend some time around the fire on the deck, the rain kept us inside, but the fire still added a nice ambiance. 

We swapped presents and hugs and ended another fantastic Christmas Eve dinner.