Holiday Recap ~ Part 2

Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning are big traditions around here. On Christmas Eve, we usually head over to my parents house for dinner and the first big round of gift opening. This year was a little different. My brother & his wife were coming into town on Christmas Day, so we wanted to save the big festivities for when they arrived. So, I cooked for the majority of the day and we ventured to the 'rents house for (my) home cooked meal and a couple of gifts for the kids to open. This is what we entered to find.

My mother goes completely overboard every Christmas when it comes to gift giving. I should note that 95% of the gifts around the tree have one of my kids names on it. And yet, Big A still complains that she has nothing to play with. Ridiculous.

After (my) yummy dinner, we ventured into the living room, so the girls could unveil their "big gift". It was a train table and more Thomas the Train set pieces than could fit on the silly table. The girls were in heaven!

The other thing my girls love is Build A Bear. It's my mother's goal in life to obtain the entire collection of animals that the company makes apparently. Big A was really excited about her new pink ballerina bear.

Ailey, who is major fan of penguins, got another 2 to add to her collection. They even came with their own igloo. Too cute!

So, we got the girls calmed down a bit and returned home so that Santa could pay us a visit while we all nestled in our beds.

Here's our tree. Yes, that's Snow White at the top. We've done a Disney themed tree every year since hubby & I started cohabitation, 15 years ago. That's a lot of Disney ornaments.

And I should note that all but 2 of the gifts under this tree have my kids names on it. It was a lean year for hubby and I in the gifting department. Sigh.

Here's my next favorite display in our house. Holiday cards (especially picture cards) make me smile. I run to the mailbox everyday during the holiday season to see what new cards have arrived. I'm still planning to send out my holiday letter...one of these days. It'll just be a little late. Ahem.

Santa brought Big A a Tinkerbell costume that she had to put on immediately. And then she & Little A tore into their other gifts.

This was the first year that we let the girls pick out something to give each other. Big A chose a Cinderella doll for Little A. Great choice! Little A loved it.

Little A chose a My Little Pony set for Big A. She was so excited that she ran over to give some sisterly love!

We moved into the kitchen, where hubby & I whipped up a big breakfast for everyone. He's the master of pancakes and I can make some mean scrambled eggs. With bacon, fruit and fresh blueberry muffins to round things out, we all gathered back in the living room to let the kids finish opening their gifts.

This picture just makes me smile. With the floor looking like this, I remember how happy we all were that morning and thankful to have each other. No amount of purchased gifts can replace the gift of family and the gift of time spent with the people you love the most.

Tomorrow we'll recap Christmas night and a few final holiday pics, including some pictures that I'm sure my brother will not be amused to find out have been posted.

Note to Angie's brother: See what happens when you don't read my blog but once a year? I told you, if you're not a reader, then you likely become content.

Note to everyone else: This rule only applies to my family, who apparently can't seem to locate my blog address, despite the fact that I've provided it to them numerous times. Oh well. Their loss is your gain! Happy Friday everyone!