We had a somewhat subdued Christmas this year. Elise was working most weekends in December, and unlike years past, we decided not to plan any holiday parties or weekend trips. This was our first Christmas in our new home, and as with Halloween, Henry insisted we decorate early. We bought a large tree for the living room, and the kids “helped” Elise decorate (see below). At times, it seemed liked they were taking down as many ornaments as she was putting up. The nativity set also was a popular item this year. Vivian enjoyed playing with the figurines, and we had to undertake several search-and-rescue missions to recover Baby Jesus.
Another first this year: the school Christmas pageant. Henry and Vivian both had elaborate Christmas parties at school, and Henry’s class even performed a 15-minute concert for the parents.
Mimi Pauline was hoping to join us for Christmas but had to delay her visit because she had not one, but two(!), sets of puppies due over the holidays. We missed seeing her but hope to visit Michigan in the spring. On Christmas Eve, we all took a long afternoon nap and nearly slept through mass but somehow managed to get ourselves to church in the nick of time. Afterward, we drove into the city and had a quiet meal at Clyde’s. On the way back, Henry and Vivian serenaded us with Christmas carols.
Here is Henry singing “Feliz Navidad”:
FelizNavidad by bryantmorris
And here is Vivian singing “Away in a Manger” (listen for “stars in the sky” and “lay down his sweet head”):
And here is Vivian singing “Away in a Manger” (listen for “stars in the sky” and “lay down his sweet head”):
Back at the house, we laid out milk and cookies for Santa, shuffled the kids off to bed, and managed to organize the presents before too late (learning from past mistakes, we started assembling days in advance).
On Christmas morning, there were lots of goodies for everyone. Vivian received a large doll house – it has three stories and slightly less square footage than our actual home. She also received some princess gowns and more baby doll accessories than we know what to do with (we seem to have purged our real baby gear only to replace it with miniature plastic versions). Henry received a Spider-man play set, Lego blocks, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and a game called Pass the Pickle (kind of like “hot potato” but with a large pickle that plays music – he picked this item from a toy catalogue and it is his favorite gift). After a low-key day unwrapping presents and playing with our new toys (children and adults alike), we joined our friends the Slivkas and Klucks for an informal Christmas dinner. It was a delicious meal and good company and a relaxing end to our understated holiday.
