Christmas Day 2020

With the kids all snuggled in bed on Christmas Eve, Santa made a stop at our house to drop off lots of special things for them.  Everything is always wrapped and the gifts are all mixed up under the tree.  There is always one "big" gift for each child from Steve and me but the rest are from Santa.  One day, they will all know that their mom was behind it all -- picking out the perfect things for them based on their favorite things/interests, but for now, I prefer to let the 'man in the red suit' have the glory.  

I love giving gifts -- of the five "love languages," this is probably mine; the hunt to find the perfect item and then wrapping it up in beautiful paper with pretty ribbon and a special tag.  After all of the gifts are placed under the tree, with just the glow and twinkle of the Christmas lights, I like to take a few minutes to survey everything.  We are so lucky to be able to provide for the kids and for each other and knowing just how excited they will be in a few short hours always makes me smile.

Jimmy received a bat and tee-ball set from us and it was likely the highlight of the entire morning for him.

The kids are asked to go slowly from one to the other opening gifts so that everyone can see.  They mostly follow that rule ...

Samantha was so excited to see that Santa left a special surprise for Mia in a stocking -- cat treats that will probably last her the rest of her lifetime.

It is a tradition that each of the kids receives a new calendar for Christmas.  Both of the boys opened funny Squirrel Calendars (each different from one another) and were completely giddy over them.

Jimmy opened a gift that was "To: James and Hedgie, From: Santa."  It was a momma hedgehog for his beloved stuffed hedgehog named Hedgie.  She is the softest thing ever and the look on his face was priceless.

A group picture with Mia included.

Oh!  And Pepper, Samantha's hamster received something too -- microwaveable popcorn on a cob that she can pick off and eat in her cage as a special snack.

The kids also bought gifts for each other and Samantha gave Jack a 6-pack of Coke bottles.  Coca-cola is Jack's favorite and only allowed in small amounts on special occasions.  He was thrilled!

Steve and I gave Jack a timed feeding station for the woods to feed the deer and squirrels (and crows ... and anything else!) which has already gotten a lot of use.  The girls each received Hoverboards and mastered them within an hour!

Later that day, my family came over for lasagna and all of the fixings.  And of course, dessert!

(I am really loving the sugar-coated cranberries this season and the rosemary for greenery.  The penguin molds were left over from a birthday party that Sophia had, so I made chocolate penguins -- even though they reside at the South Pole and not the North Pole, ha!).

Our neighbors also joined us, as they had no big plans this year because of COVID and are considered to be "in our bubble."  We always have lots of food and drinks and we enjoyed adding a few more people into the festivity and games!