Christmas Eve and Day 2019

Christmas Eve wrap up--we read The Night Before Christmas, did our second annual tradition of getting a picture in front of the garage countdown, read NORAD updates, and sprinkled reindeer food outside before heading to bed.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

One where you can see the kids (kind of)

One where you can see the countdown

We told the kids they could wake us up at 6:30 on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, I was up before 5. Not out of excitement (although, I was excited), but because I am on this terrible sleep cycle lately. No matter what time I go to bed I wake up in the 4 o'clock hour. I don't mind waking up at 5, that is fairly close to my regular time and it gives me a few extra minutes to relax before starting my normal day (exercise, shower, wake kids, get them off to school, head to work). But, this 4 o'clock thing is super annoying.

Anyway, the kids came in at 6:30 and Thomas and I were already showered, dressed and ready to go! As tradition dictates, we started with our stockings. Then, Thomas passed out presents and the unwrapping began. Unlike previous years, we did not have a special breakfast. So, we unwrapped gifts and had a nice morning. Because we bought Disney passes, the plan was to cut back on gifts this year. But, it still felt like we had too much.

Less than previous years, but still a good amount.

Four cute kids in matching penguin jammies

The final presents were from Santa. Luke got the styrofoam plane he wanted and a soft blanket. Kara got a hoverboard. Anna got a scooter and Jack got a Lord of the Rings board game (Battle of Pelennor Fields). We spent the day playing with our gifts. We hardly saw Jack. He spent the day assembling his new game. It is a complicated one, he has to glue and paint the pieces. Kara spent the day working on her Harry Potter Legos and trying out her new Hoverboard. Luke had lots of toys to occupy him. He and I took his plane to the park and threw it around for about an hour. We were able to make it do multiple loops and he was very pleased. Unfortunately, someone (there is disagreement as to who) fell on it the next day and broke a wing.

We had an easy ham dinner with scalloped potatoes, rolls, and asparagus. Normally, we eat our meal on Christmas Eve, but since we were doing something so simple, we decided to have it on Christmas day. It was probably a total of 20 minutes to throw it all together.

For me, Thomas revived the gift of one big project a month. He gave me that last year and it was amazing! But, then we moved and I didn't get to fully utilize it. I complained enough, that he decided to do it again. I am having a hard time deciding what to have him do in January. The house needs a lot of organizing/cleaning and I figure I can have him do one area a month and it will be awesome by Christmas 2021 (and, I won't have to do it!!!). He also gave me some other nice gifts, like a weighted blanket, pillow, panini maker, board games and earrings. I gave him some old coins, an old Daredevil comic book, and some other small gifts. His favorite gift was a book that Kara made him. She took a small notebook and glued in baseball cards. Then, she wrote a description of each card (the usual information you would find on a card, plus some unique facts). She even put in a card for Thomas. It says: "height 6'2; bats: left; throws: left. Drafted by Tigers. Born 6-21-70s. Home- Orlando. Thomas Wilson, the only pitcher to get 5 batting begins with the Tigers. He is known for his arm, speed and batting. He is the best father anyone could ask for." It was a very thoughtful gift, we can't imagine how many hours it must have taken her and Thomas said it was one of his favorite gifts of all time.

Thomas and his baseball card book with its creator

 Kara also made Jack a book about Lord of the Rings, which is his current obsession. She really is amazing at creating homemade gifts. She even invented a board game. We had friends come into town on the 26th (more on that in future blogs!) so we haven't been able to try it out yet. But, I am sure it will be entertaining.

Jack and his homemade book

For favorite gifts, Thomas said the gift from Kara; for me it is the list of projects; Jack said the Lord of the Rings game; Anna said her mermaid tale or scooter; Kara likes her hoverboard; Luke can't pick one because "they are all just too awesome!".