Christmas is by far my favorite time of year! The music, the spirit that permeates our souls, the smell of cookies baking in the oven, the speed with which people reach out to one another. And this year, we had SNOW! We also had my Mom and dad Mark here with us, which was a real treat.
Mallorie made a countdown chain in preschool at the beginning of December which we mostly forgot about. I baked too many cookies that never made it out to our friends and neighbors, the annual Christmas card was mailed early in the month and turned out well, our pantry door filled up with cards from friends and family and still brings a smile when I look at it, the decorations went up without a hitch and despite my fears of the tree being pulled over by either our cat or our son, it remained upright the entire season. And Abbie our Elf came back to live with us for the month.
We have yet to establish a true tradition when it comes to how we obtain our Christmas tree - for several years there was a favorite lot from where one was purchased. Last year, Chadwick took the girls up to Idaho City to cut a tree. I was in Albuquerque with Spencer and "missed" the fun - there was snow on the ground and rain falling from the clouds. The kids were wet and cold almost immediately. Luckily, Chadwick found a tree relatively quickly, got it cut, and hauled it back to the car in record time. It was a tall, lanky, Charlie Brown tree and we loved it. This year, we supported the Mountain View High school band by purchasing a tree. It was completely without drama and quite anti-climactic. The trees were lined up, still tied, on the baseball field. We drove up, picked one that looked somewhat straight laying on its side, and took it home. Took all of 15 minutes.
Unlike the tree form last year, this year's tree was overly stuffed. There wasn't in inch of free space in the entire frame and was quite hard to decorate because of the density of the needles. On the plus side, it smelled heavenly. Very few ornaments were placed on our tree - partly because I didn't want them broken by Spencer and partly because they simply wouldn't fit. And we only hung ornaments on the top third of the tree to prevent our little sticky fingers from carting them off. It was something of a goofy sight.
And since we have a Southwestern den, we must have a tree with red chili lights!
Chadwick had Christmas Eve off and we spent the day cooking, enjoying one another's company, and telling Mallorie that it wasn't yet time to open her one Christmas Eve gift. For dinner, we enjoyed food with a Venezuelan flavor and it was delicious. The kids got to open their Christmas pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa Hunt and we sent them off to bed with instructions that Santa would not come until they were asleep. It's one of the few times we haven't seen either Morgan or Mallorie after goodnights have been exchanged.
Then Chadwick and Mark went to work building the loft beds we purchased for the girls. It was the present of the year - along with some bedding - and I was so excited to see the looks on their faces the next morning! I was shocked that no one came out of the bedroom to check on the noise below as there was banging, drilling, and clunking for several hours during assembly. Cookies were set out and we went to bed late. (Is there really every a year that parents go to bed early on Christmas Eve? At least while they have small children at home?)
They were a total hit and I haven't seen the girls as much since relocating the beds to their room. Spencer has now mastered the art of climbing up and down the ladders, Morgan has a blanket across her personal space below the bed, each girl has a dresser and bookshelf with baskets for their collections, jewelry, and stuff.
Side note - church consisted only of sacrament meeting Sunday morning instead of the usual three hour block. It started a 9:00. Several weeks prior to their arrival, I invited Mom and Mark to attend church with us if they wanted and let them know the plan. "When are the kids going to open their presents?" Mom inquired during that conversation. "After church," I replied without hesitation. I was not about to get the kids up super early to rush them through presents so we could get ready for church and leave said presents behind so quickly after opening. There was a long pause before Mom asked, "And the girls are ok with that??" I giggled since I wasn't really giving them the option. We opened stockings before church and took our time opening gifts after sacrament by the fireplace.
After breakfast, Chadwick disappeared into the front yard with Darwin to construct an igloo while Mom and I worked in the kitchen and the kids played with their toys. He ran out of bricks and had to finish Tuesday morning. Once he starts a project, he works hard until it is complete. I love that about my husband!
Nancy and Steve joined us for dinner Christmas night - we served a "traditional" smorgasbord that was delightful. Swedish meatballs (complete with white gravy for Chadwick), ham, deviled eggs, rolls, baked beans, green salad, Nana Manwaring's cranberry salad, Waldorf salad (which was left behind in the fridge and not consumed until the next day), lingonberries, black olives, and cookies. Served on the Wahlberg china. I love that my parents and in-laws enjoy a good relationship.
Mark hauled up a Tupperware of sand, brown lunch bags, and candles so we could light luminarias!! The picture didn't do the scene justice but it was a lovely little bit of my roots. Two of the bags froze to the railing on the porch and will have to be removed...later this winter!
The week following the holiday was spent playing, reading books, visiting the Discovery Center, staying warm by the den fire, and a quick daytrip by Mom and Mark to Pendleton, OR to meet up with Sean, Beth, and Colin. Traveling this year was incredibly tricky as the winter storms were passing through the area with great frequency and large amounts of moisture. Luckily, the New Mexicans were able to sneak out of Boise and return to the Land of Enchantment between the flurries and had a few days to recover before returning to reality after the New Year.
New Year's Eve is decidedly less exciting than in my youth and college years. Chadwick came down with a head cold and stayed near his Kleenex box the whole night. We watched a movie and counted down to the New Year on our couch and celebrated with an air kiss as the Boise "Glow-tato" dropped. We were in bed by 12:17 am.
Bring it on, 2017....
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