We always kick off the Christmas season after our Thanksgiving feast, by watching Miracle on 34th St (the old version!). After that we watch whatever Christmas movies we are in the mood for. This year, for some reason (perhaps because of our trip to Mexico and subsequent visit by Babs?), we barely watched any Christmas movies until suddenly we found ourselves just a few days before the holiday! So Friday evening, after our trip to the Nutcracker, we got to work. Over the course of the weekend we watched some old favorites (Magoo's Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Rudolph, Santa Clause Is Coming to Town, Frosty) and I introduced my family to some new to them ones as well (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, The Night They Saved Santa). By the time Monday rolled around we were definitely in the spirit!!
Our celebrations always really start the night before though. After eating dinner while watching It's A Wonderful Life, we headed out for our tradition of a Christmas Eve visit to see lights. We returned to the park that we went to our first year in Colorado. It was a chilly night, but the lights were beautiful. Daisy and Gwen enjoyed that no one else was around, allowing them to run and be crazy!
We returned home to lay out carrots for the reindeer, as well as Santa's cookies, milk, and - apparently he was extra good this year - hockey tickets. 😄
Santa came!
Christmas morning the traditions continued. Cinnamon rolls were baked for breakfast, and A Christmas Story was put on TV. We opened our stockings, then moved on to presents. Everyone was very excited and very happy.
As is normal for us, there was Harry Potter items, LEGOs for Gwen, things to wear, things to eat, and definitely things to read.
Travis and I both got tattoo money, and we "opened" our big gift to each other... our Ancesty DNA results! Absolutely NO surprises for him (75% Irish, 25% Italian; Migrations to Newfoundland), and no real surprises for me either (50% Irish/Scottish/Welsh, 43% Misc Europe West, 3% European Jewish; Migrations to Pennsylvania and New York). It was very fun to see it on the screen though, backed up by DNA. So that would make Gwen 37.5% Irish, 25% Irish/Scottish/Welsh, 21% Misc Europe West, 12.5% Italian, 1.5% European Jewish.
We spent the rest of the day in our PJs watching still more Christmas movies (George C. Scott's Christmas Carol, Peanuts Christmas, and the first Harry Potter - what, they celebrate Christmas at one point...), enjoying our new gifts, and Trav grilled us a nice steak for dinner.
I hope that whatever holiday's you celebrate, they were truly wonderful and magical this year! Ours were all we could have hoped for.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave me some love!
~ Meegs