The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ava's preschool toilet paper tube nativity.

The gingerbread train assembled by Daddy and kids.

Gramee Rosenthal's hand-knitted stockings that hung by the chimney with care.



Brown paper packages tied up with strings.

Christmas cards galore.

Nicholas posed with our poinsettia.

Christmas Eve.... the calm before the storm.

Christmas morning.

Brahm riding his new bike in the kitchen.

Simon assembling his hexbug habitat.

Nicholas trying out his new walker.

Ava and Simon on the "jump"-oline.

The Christmas of 2010 came and went with the blink of an eye.  My children wrote and mailed off their letters to Santa very early on in the season.  They were excited to receive cards back from Mr. Claus and his elves (thanks to my amazing mail carrier!).  Simon asked for piano music and a scooter.  Ava asked for a doll and a hexbug.  Brahm asked for a hexbug as well.  I love my children.  Such simple requests.  Thank goodness they don't watch normal TV programming inundated with commercials for the newest and greatest toys.  Instead, they solely watch PBS- no ads whatsoever. 

As I was preparing the Christmas Eve dinner, I reminded Jess that he needed to change his casual clothes to something nicer.  My husband gives me grief every year during Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I make him and my children dress up for dinner.  I don't know what the big deal is.  Dressing up two times out of the year for a special dinner doesn't seem unreasonable to me.  And, it doesn't bother my kids either.  But, it annoys my husband.  So, Jess talked me into starting a new tradition.  Instead of dressing up, we decided to wear our Christmas pajamas to dinner.  Everyone was happily on board with this.  

After the kids went to bed, I had a few more presents to wrap and stockings to fill.  I had to be tricky this year and wrap Santa's gifts with different paper than that used on the gifts that Mommy and Daddy were giving to the kids (the kids questioned this in the past).  I decided to use brown paper which is actually very hard to wrap with, because it is so thick and sturdy and won't stay taped.  Of all the gifts that I bought this year, I loved the stocking stuffers the best: pistachios, oranges, piano music, books, hexbugs, and wooden whistles/harmonica.

We shared our Christmas morning with Gramee and Grandpa Rosenthal via Skype.  They were able to watch the kids open all of their presents in the comfort of their home in Las Vegas.  We spent all of Christmas day in our pajamas watching movies, playing games, devouring yummy Christmas treats, and napping.  For dinner, I used the ham bone from the previous night's meal to make split pea soup. 

As a child, the end of Christmas was so depressing.  There was nothing to look forward to.  But as an adult and mother, I look forward to life calming down and children going back to school.  And, I tend to eat far more healthy when there aren't plates and bags of Christmas treats tempting me at every turn. :)