I am hoping that everyone that I know and love (and those that stop by in secret!) had a wonderful holiday! It all went by in a blur for me, which is part of the reason I haven't sat down to write in a week! Pete and I were very last-minute this year {shame}, so there was a frenzy of gift getting, present wrapping, and decision making for us in the two or three days coming up to Christmas! I made my usual grumbles about how I am totally marrying a Jew the next time I get married, but to be honest, I lovelovelove giving presents! It's the chaos that drives me insane! Chaos aside, we got it done, and even though we scaled back a bit, it made us feel so good to give to the people we love and who love us back!
PJ, of course, was spoiled rotten! He is still awash in the afterglow of his birthday gifts when Christmas rolls around (winter baby!) and envelops him in a new wave of generosity and love!
Santa gifted him with a train table that has been the center of his universe since Christmas morning, along with trains, books, games and puzzles (actually, he surprised me with his love of the puzzles! When he's not at his train table, he's sorting and piecing together his new puzzles, a step up in difficulty from the wooden Melissa and Doug type). Bubbie and Zaydie, Nan and Pop, and a host of Aunt and Uncles spoiled him in a similar fashion! It's the first year that PJ has truly understood the deal about opening presents, so it was a lot of fun to see him so excited!
The day was full- we slept in and after opening presents here, we headed to Pete's brother and sister-in-law's for breakfast. We have been doing that for as long as I can remember and it's a tradition that I look forward to. My nieces and nephews are the best type of kids to give gifts to- sweetly grateful and always so excited to receive! They give the type of reaction you dream about when you're choosing a gift. So it's always a pleasure to see them basking in the glory of the morning and having a blast with their spoils! PJ got into one of my nephew Carl's gifts, and instead of being annoyed at his little cousin, he was genuinely concerned that PJ might have swallowed a piece! Thankfully, he didn't need to worry, as there was no damage done to his gift or to PJ's intestines! We headed home with full bellies to relax for a bit before we headed down to Marla and Steve's for a visit. They host Christmas for Steve's family and this was the first year that we were able to make it down and spend some time with everyone, including my own mom and dad. Another round of present-opening ensued and snacks were consumed before we headed off to Pete's parents for our last stop of the day! It was the usual cyclone of kids and food and family and presents, highlighted by the Cousin Pollyanna, a tradition started a few years ago. The kids all really love choosing gifts and enjoy the "ooooo" -ing and " "ahhhhhh" -ing in unison as each cousin opens a present!
It was a beautiful day, a family filled day, a holiday, and, if I admit it, and exhausting day! We are all still coming down from the high of the day. But, it reminded me, as it always does, of just how much we have and how lucky we are!
1 comment
so glad you had a merry christmas my dear!
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