Christmas 2016

Santa is coming!

Our house isn't really setup for Christmas. We have a small fireplace but it's covered up by a shelving unit full of toys. We have a small Christmas tree, but you couldn't get more than 3 gifts under it. My mother likes to decorate a tree (or three) for Christmas and they have a fireplace that Santa could plausibly descend. Besides - it's more fun going away for Christmas!

My mother had a new layer of embellishment to the Christmas traditions - small stocking for snacks for the reindeer. The kids put out carrots for the reindeer as well as the cookies and milk for Santa. They really wanted to stay up and watch while Santa came to drop off gifts, but thankfully they went to bed without too much fuss.

We are fortunate that we can provide gifts. It's tricky to figure out what is the right quantity, especially when you don't coordinate well between parents. We have learned - after a few gifts the kids are overwhelmed so try to keep the count down. The kids do love stuffed animals and fancy dresses.

I think our goal is to spread present opening over as many days as possible. The first gift of the day will always be more special than the seventh.

My personal favorite part of Christmas is going out for a walk after. Everyone outside is happy and the kids always need a good play or run. My dad has more kids bikes than we do so the kids got to ride over.

And then it becomes a birthday! My dad was born on Christmas day so we try to dedicate half the day to him. We usually make Pizza at home and my Mom has picked out a cake. We try to make sure he has a separate gift from his Christmas gift which has lead to the bizarre outcome that he gets more birthday gifts than my Mom does. Either way, Christmas + a birthday cake makes for happy kids.