Christmas Day 2021

The kids went to bed at a decent time on Christmas Eve this year.  I think that part of it was the fact that we had no definite plans -- no company to entertain, no house to put back in order after guests left, and all of the kids were feeling sleepy after finishing their movie.  After we were sure that they were sound asleep, Steve and I set to work pulling presents out of boxes and stuffing stockings.  One of my favorite things to do (besides planning parties, pulling together decorations and decorating cakes) is to wrap presents.  I love the shiny paper, the bright ribbons and seeing them all on display.  Therefore, I wrap everything -- even the items for stockings! -- and then have them boxed away until after the kids go to bed and we are ready to set them out under the tree.

Everything was all put  by 10:30 pm that night, just waiting for the kids to come down the next morning:

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ... and anxious to see what was underneath all of the paper:

The kids sat around in a small circle and took their time, each opening one gift at a time.  Nothing bothers me more than complete chaos and not being able to see the looks on their faces when they open their gifts.  I pride myself on picking out some very personal gifts (making notes all year long as I think of things) and the pleasure that comes from seeing their excitement is the only thing that I really need.

One of the best ideas for Christmas morning is to hand each kid a laundry basket for them to put their gifts in after they are opened.  It keeps things contained -- especially the smaller items -- and makes it simpler to pull out to show family that comes over later in the day.  It also makes it easier to take everything to their rooms later when they want to sort things and put them away.

This girl goes through so many mechanical pencils that she actually put them on this year's "Christmas List."  As you can see, she was pretty happy to get a big pack of them.

This hair dryer brush has so many positive reviews online and I thought that it would be a great gift for her.  I, personally, NEVER blow-dry my hair (so much frizz because of my curls), but Samantha's curls are looser than mine and I think that she will really enjoy using it.

This bag ...!  I save it every year and use it just for Jack.  I think that this might be our 6th year using it!

Sophia's main gift from us was a new vanity and stool for her room.  She is really into beauty products so she also received a mini fridge for her room to store some of her "cold creams" in.

A new camo cap for this boy because his other hats from last year were getting small on him.  He is so fair-skinned (like his momma) that he really needs a hat on at all times during the summer.

Jimmy's main gift from us was an electric scooter and I have a feeling that it will be getting LOTS of use this Spring/Summer/Fall.

Not pictured: Jack received a new BMX bike (which he LOVES) and Samantha opened a new writing/drawing tablet that she can use in conjunction with the laptop that we plan to get for her after the holidays.  I use my tablet so much for teaching online and she really took an interest in it ... giving me a great idea for her.

Later on, my family and Steve's dad came over for a more non-traditional Christmas meal.  Instead of a big, sit-down style dinner, I opted to do soups and salad with bread and appetizers.  I made a big bowl of homemade applesauce, lots of desserts and drinks and we had a great time.  The neighbors joined in -- games were played, football was watched and there was tons of merry cheer to end out our year ...

Christmas Eve 2021

This year, Christmas Eve (a Friday) was a really casual day.  The weather was unseasonably balmy -- no White Christmas this year -- so the kids spent some time outside playing and then more time inside completing a puzzle that one of our neighbors gave to us.  They finished it just in time.  

Sophia and I spent lots of time in the kitchen, prepping for the next day and then after dinner, the kids put on their coats to go outside and sprinkle their "Reindeer Food" out on the front lawn.

Lots of powdered sugar and sprinkles:

Most of the fun comes from throwing the food up into the dark night and letting it fall:

Afterwards, we laughed so hard because the kids' coats and shoes were covered with oatmeal, powdered sugar and sprinkles.  So many sprinkles ...

I'm already considering that I am going to make Samantha come home every year just for this -- even when she is in college!

After everyone came back inside the kids immediately asked to open their Christmas Eve gifts from Steve and me.  By now, they already know that the boxes contain new pajamas but they are just as excited to see what I have picked out for them.

All showered and in their brand-new pajamas:

Then, we set the kids up for a movie (Home Alone!!!) while Steve and I went next door to the neighbor's house for a glass of "holiday cheer."  We arrived back home just as the movie was finishing and the kids were ready for bed ...

Christmas Cookies

A few days before Christmas, we chose a day that would work with our busy schedule to make some sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies.  I mixed up a large batch of sugar cookie dough and split it in to four equal amounts.  Then, I set the kids up at a table with a roller, some extra flour and lots of cookie cutters.  

It took a couple of attempts for them to get the hang of using the roller because in the past, I would always roll the dough out for them.

Soon, they mastered the technique and quickly added the cut-out shapes to cookie trays that I had lined up on the counter.  While one batch was baking, another tray was getting filled and set aside.

Jimmy was still learning the importance of 'maximizing the real estate' and placing his cookie cutters close to one another.

Sophia is my usual kitchen helper and was great at assisting the boys when they needed it.

Making an angel -- one of the harder cookie cutters to use because it is larger than the others and results in a shape that is delicate to pick-up.  But Jimmy was patient and his angels ended up turning out great!

Later that afternoon, we moved the table and set up an area in the kitchen for frosting cookies.

Lots of colors; lots of sprinkles; and one happy bunch of kids.

Steve was home from work by this time and he chose to jump in and help.  He even decorated a few cookies of his own!

A Christmas tree!

On their side of the table, the girls used piping bags for extra detail.

I loved this idea!  Samantha saw online that you could take a cookie that is in the shape of a gingerbread boy, rotate it upside down and then turn it into a reindeer.

For some reason, I did not take a picture of all of the final decorated cookies, but there was definitely a lot of creativity happening in my kitchen that day.  Some of their favorites were set aside for Santa's plate on Christmas Eve and the others were put in a sealed container and shared on Christmas Day for the dessert table.  

Reindeer Food

Reindeer Food: Another tradition that I hope continues to last for years and years; even when some of the holiday magic wears off.  Our elf graciously set out the fixings and the supplies in the wee hours of the morning one weekend and the kids were happy to wake up to see the sight before them.

The first step involved writing their name on a tag so that we would know exactly whose bag was whose when Christmas Eve arrived and it was time to sprinkle the contents on the front lawn.

All smiles for the activity!

Every year, the supplies change slightly depending on what is on hand, and this year included some mini Christmas M&Ms.

Dried apples from the orchard -- a definite favorite with all of our kids and I am sure that the reindeer were equally pleased to find them on the front lawn.

Oatmeal is another staple year after year.  Oats are important for reindeer nutrition, or so I am told.

Powdered sugar -- a messy ingredient but well-stocked in the pantry this time of year.

There were also some chocolate chips (I'm sure that more were consumed by the kids whenever I turned my back compared to what really made it into their bags though!).

The final bags, tied up with tags, and just waiting for Christmas Eve:

Christmas Catherine

Our beloved Christmas elf made her annual debut on December 1st this year, with her North Pole Breakfast set up and ready for when the kids came down to get ready for school that morning.  Oh how they love this breakfast; it changes a little bit each year, but it signifies a month of fun and unpredictable antics from Christmas Catherine.  There are a few things that she "always does" during the month of December, but she tries not to repeat too much.  

Here's our month with C.C. in review:

North Pole Breakfast --

C.C. always arrives with her suitcase and a note for kids.  This year, she brought apple turnovers, chocolate donuts, "Santa hat strawberries" and some orange juice.  She also set out the magnetic countdown calendar that we have been using for the last 10 years or so on the fridge.

The magic has begun!

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Trying to sip orange juice out of an orange.  Spoiler alert: she wasn't successful.

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Leading a LONG train of vehicles from the Christmas tree all the way out into the hallway.

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C.C. made her own countdown chain and left it behind for Jimmy to rip a link off each night.

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Christmas Catherine made a Christmas tree out of donut holes for a snack for the kids one day.

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We had very little snow this week so C.C. set to work making her own snowflakes out of Q-tips.

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A rousing game of "Pin the Nose on the Reindeer" with a few friends.

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C.C. surprised us by bringing a little something special for Cheeto -- a "pineapple under the sea" house for the aquarium.

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In honor of the Mandalorian movie that the kids have been watching lately, C.C. hid in the Christmas tree dressed up as a baby yoda.  The kids had the hardest time finding her that morning!

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Kind of gross, but worth a lot of laughs ... C.C. was giving away "free reindeer poop" one day.  We had some takers who later learned that there was a mixture in there of chocolate-covered peanuts, raisins and malt balls.

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Christmas Catherine found a stash of candy up high and grabbed items from the pantry in order to reach it and indulge in some sugar.

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One morning, the kids found something special wrapped up to put in their lunches.  Once they got to the cafeteria, they opened the present to find a dessert item in the shape of a Christmas tree.  Plus, their friends thought that it was so neat to have to unwrap the treat from their lunchboxes.

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A naughty/nice chart was necessary one day.  Jack found himself down on the naughty section before the day was over.  Ha!

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Jimmy received a stuffed elf from his teacher last year and the elf joined C.C. in a "ball pit" of M&Ms one day.

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LOTS of candy canes from this year's harvest.

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C.C. hung a craft project from ribbon with the message to "Have Fun."  The kids used the kits to each make a different stain-glass item to hang on our windows for the holiday season.

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A new puzzle with the task of finishing the puzzle before Christmas Eve.  As it turns out, the kids were so excited that they finished it before the end of the day!

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Using a grater to "shred" dollars into (chocolate) gold coins:

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Another task: to choose 3 capsules, drop them in hot water and see what shapes appear.

It took a few minutes, but one-by-one, the capsules dissolved and a sponge popped out in the shape of a certain Christmas design.

This was a fun, quick activity that the kids did after school and then kept the sponges on display.

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A battle between Darth Vader and a robot using light sabers.

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