Christmas 2013

Henry was smiling on the inside.

A late Thanksgiving holiday made for an unusually busy Christmas season.  We kicked things off with the St. Mary’s Christmas Bazaar, where the kids decorated gingerbread men and designed homemade ornaments.  Then it was time to decorate our tree (purchased from the St. Mary’s tree lot—somehow Bryant escaped working at the lot this year, but his time is coming).  We’re starting to amass a nice little collection of Disney ornaments.  We purchase a few each time we visit Orlando.  The only trick is convincing the kids not to play with them.

Both Vivian and Henry had separate Christmas concerts this year.  Vivian and the rest of 4A performed for their parents at the St. Anthony’s Christmas Party.  Henry’s class and the other Kindergarten and 1st grade classes at St. Mary’s performed a Christmas concert in the school gym.  It was quite a scene: there were some 200 students on the stage and a standing room only crowd of parents and grandparents, all vying to snap a picture or shoot video of their child(ren) performing.  Fortunately, we arrived early and got seats upfront.  As you can see (below), Henry looked quite dashing in his blue blazer and festive red tie.  The kids weren’t the only ones celebrating.  Elise and Bryant also attended some grown-up holiday parties, including open houses at the Powells and DeLormes.

Before we knew it, Christmas was here.  Mimi Pauline flew down from Michigan to spend the holiday with us.  As has been our tradition for the last several years, we went to the children’s mass at St. Mary’s on Christmas Eve and had dinner at Clyde’s afterward.  With Mimi Pauline’s help, we managed to snap a few family photos (see below).  On Christmas morning, the kids found much to make them happy: Vivian received Anna and Elsa dolls (from her new favorite movie Frozen) while Henry received a rainbow loom (the latest craze among the grade school set).  While the kids played, Bryant got started on Christmas dinner: Beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and strawberry tiramisu (see Christmas 2014: Beef Wellington).  As a final treat, with Mimi Pauline in town to babysit, Bryant and Elise slipped away for dinner and a show in downtown Washington.  We enjoyed margaritas and modern Mexican cuisine at Rosa Mexicano and then caught the evening performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by the Shakespeare Theater Company.  Overall, a good—if hectic—holiday season.

 

 

Henry's Kindergarten Christmas Concert