Well, I am finally posting pictures of our wonderful Christmas Day celebration. These pictures uploaded in no particular order, and I am not going to try to rearrange them into chronological order! I will just comment on them as they are......
First of all, these are some of our family traditions....
Santa Claus visits our home and gives each child one present. He also fills their stockings with useful items (like nail clippers or hand lotion), small toys, and candy.
My children give each other a store bought gift (they "shop" from my sibling store--paying a flat rate for all 4 gifts), and usually they create handmade gifts for each other as well.
The children also "shop" in my store for gifts for their daddy, and they also sometimes shop at the mall for Jimmy and me too. This year they did both, and we received delightful gifts. They usually create handmade gifts for me and/or Jimmy too.
Sometimes Jimmy and I exchange gifts and sometimes we don't. Some gifts are small, and some are large. It just depends on the year, and if there is something special that one of us wants. Jimmy creates wonderful handmade gifts too. This year he made me a beautiful frame for a huge picture our our children made at Seaside. I love it!
We spend Christmas Day at home. All day. In our new pajamas.
I cook a special breakfast (homemade cinnamon rolls this year), and I also prepare a special lunch/supper. We eat around 2:00 PM. The menu is basically them same each year--grilled steak, steamed shrimp, potatoes, salad, and rolls. I serve this meal on my best Christmas dishes, complete with cloth napkins and fancy placemats. We enjoy this fancy meal---in our pajamas! It's great!
The children, Jimmy and I spend the day leisurely opening our gifts. I let the children take their time. If they open a new toy or activity and want to play with for an hour before opening another gift, I let them. We take our time and enjoy the day.
At the end of the day I try to pick up all of the trash, boxes etc. Each child keeps his presents in a certain location in our den. I save the major clean-up of the den for the day after Christmas. No one wants to clean on this special day!
Ok, now for the pictures!
Olivia with her new light-up crochet hook.
For crocheting in the dark (like in the car at night)!
Leah with her new American Girl doll, Addy,
Julie and Sam with Sam's cute little crocheted rabbit that Julie made him.
An overview of the den before we began opening presents.
Our Christmas breakfast
Julie, crocheting with some new yarn.
Leah with her etch-a-sketch, and Sam with his slingshot.
Sam and Bo
Olivia with the race number holder that Julie made her.
Our Christmas Dinner
6:00 A.M.
Waiting to come downstairs to begin the fun!
Julie with the bear (from The Lorax) that Olivia made her.
Sam with his new race track and hedge clippers.
Sam with his knife that Clay made him.
It was a merry Christmas!
It sounds like your family had a happy Christmas with time together enjoying your special traditions and homemade gifts. :)
ReplyDelete