I think there's always this weird pressure to try to make the holidays 'perfect' for our children for fear that they'll grow up to by dysfunctional if they don't decorate sugar cookies, pose nicely on Santa's lap, open exactly 5.7 presents all perfectly wrapped, and memorize all the verses to Joy to the World. But really, I think our children can allow us to stop all the craziness that we fill the Christmas season with and just focus on the simplicity of all we are given and all we have to celebrate.
Our boys didn't care that the Christmas jammies they wore on Christmas Eve were too short in the legs, the sheer excitement they had over going to sleep that night didn't even let them notice.
So what if we didn't purchase every toy on the 'hottest toys for boys' list! The giddiness they displayed as they opened their light saber toothbrushes and lego set they've had their eye on forever makes a mama's heart skip a beat. I adore giving my boys presents I know they'll love but its always good to look back at these pictures and realize that a zillion toys aren't what my boys need or even want. A family that loves and knows them enough to find them a gift that's perfect for them....and watching them wait in anticipation for the child's reaction as they open the gift because they know how much they'll love it? Those moments....those are the gifts.
We had a lovely Christmas this year. We attended our Christmas Eve service at church, ate our traditional meats/cheeses/crackers/fruit/soup dinner afterwards and implemented a new family tradition. Growing up my dad would always give us kids one present from him with our meal on Christmas Eve, so Peter carried on this tradition with our boys. Such a little thing, but so special.
Christmas morning we didn't let the boys get up too early, but they were so excited. We took turns opening presents and stockings and just enjoyed the time together. My mom and sister stayed with us for a few days during the holiday break and it was so nice to spend time with them. We made monkey bread for breakfast and once all the presents were opened we just spent the day building lego sets, playing with new toys, watching Christmas movies and finished it off with a yummy ham meal.
After Christmas we spent the next few days just doing a bit of shopping, relaxing and then prepping for our trip back to Spokane to spend the next week with Peter's side of the family. We had a fabulous time at Poppy & Gong Gong's for a week. The boys played in the snow, we watched a lot of Bowl games, celebrated New Years, and enjoyed spending time together with the Larmores too. Peter and I were also treated to a wonderful date night at a super fun hotel in downtown Spokane. His parents gifted us with a yummy meal there and watched the boys so we could have a few hours together. It was delicious and fun to enjoy the festive lights downtown. And my sweet hubby had flowers at our table when we arrived, so, so thoughtful!
Remembering the week in Spokane I think about how awful Ethan slept most of the time, our yummy food, our Christmas celebration at 10:30pm, taking our nieces and nephew to Big Hero 6, staying up late at Anita and Nate's just like the good old days, Benjamin throwing up in a ziplock a few hours into the drive there, and leaving early because of the snowstorm coming in and our lack of snow tires. We love spending the holidays with family and this Christmas was no different.
This sweet time of year always seems to pass by so quickly, but these pictures remind me of how richly our lives are blessed and how simple, intentional efforts into our children, our family and others can be so wonderful. A very, merry Christmas indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment