What a beautiful holiday

We had a very quiet Christmas this year. And it was wonderful.

For the first Christmas morning in about the last 9 years, I woke before my kids and was more excited than they were. Alex, my early riser, was up just after me... and instantly went to get his stocking before the rest of us were out of bed (this is allowed... well, actually, at this point, I would say it is tradition). I walked out there to find him on the couch playing his Nintendo DS with his new green light saber stylus stocking stuffer. He looked up at me and said "Merry Christmas Mama!" before returning to saving the virtual universe.

I went to take a shower (ie: kill time) waiting for the other kids to bound out of bed. When I got out of the shower, Cyan was up, and playing her DS as well with her red light saber. Very cool.

At this point Logan and Don still were not up. Time to take things into my own hands... I mean, after all, it was 7:20am. They HAD to get out of bed and join in the joy and merriness darnit and that was that.

Don stumbles out of bed after I sweetly flip on the light and ask him to get up and I rub Logan's back and ask him if he wants to open presents until, as predicted (and desired) he pops up, bleary eyed and saying "Yeah mama. Yeah."

Stockings in the living room and starting a nice warm fire came first. Then we moved to the great room where the tree is and proceeded to move slowly through our gifts. There were "oooooo's" and "awwwwww's" in all the right places and even some "You are the best parents EVER!"

This was good.

Then there was about a 4 hour lull in festivities in which we filled with playing with Alex's new chess set and putting Cyan's hair in to a ballerina bun to go along with her brand new ballet outfit.

I knew it was going to be a modest party as both my brothers were still snowed in. So just my dad and his partner with her two daughters were expected to make it... and that was questionable because of the roads. Thankfully, they made it fine about noon and I laid out a spread of snacks, quiche, and shrimp cocktail. We hung out and talked and had a sweet second gift exchange in which I got a thistle feeder for my backyard bird sanctuary. Very exciting... now I may get Goldfinch!

They left about 3pm trying to beat the snow covered icy roads and Don and Logan went down for a nap.

The kids and I spent time playing games and reading new books and such before I dragged them outside to make an igloo out of the melting snow. We got two big layers of our walls finished before we decided that melting snow, although great for packing into blocks, was no fun to stay outside in, especially at dusk. Wet and cold we came back in and boosted the fire in the fireplace and made hot cider.

Don and Logan woke up about 5pm and we turned on Planet Earth the series (dh got it for me) while we had a spaghetti dinner that Don made (yet another gift for me after making that big lunch spread).

With Alex leaving early this morning for his yearly jaunt to his dads for the remainder of the holiday, we needed to get the kids to bed pretty early. So they were sent off and Don and I watched Kingdom Of Heaven (another gift from dh) during which I fell fast asleep on the floor (I had been awake since just after 5:30, after all). Don tucked me into bed and went to set up and play with his Christmas gift (a new computer screen).

And this was good.

Merry Christmas everyone!