This year might possibly have been the best Christmas ever! Our kids are at great ages and it was fun to watch their eyes light up at the thought of Santa, gifts on Christmas morning and see them also learn some very valuable lessons about giving and receiving!
I could write pages and pages about the things I have loved this Christmas season, but instead, here are some of my favorites:
- I loved starting a new family tradition of going to Idaho Springs and lunch at Beau Jo's before we get our Christmas tree! The snowy mountains are a great thing to see late in November to get you in the mood!
- Enjoying Peppermint Mocha creamer in my coffee and large breakfasts with my In-laws
- Blake excited about the mini-ornaments I made for his tree in his own room!
- How many times Blake wanted to stare at the picture of the Manger on the church program at Christmas Eve service
- Taking Blake, on a special one-on-one date to our Christmas Musical and watching his eyes take it all in
- Explaining to him the story of baby Jesus and hearing him learn how to pray
- The fact that I can wrap presents RIGHT next to Piper in her highchair and she has no clue
- How Blake picked out a gift for his sister, all on his own without us even suggesting he get her something
- Brian and my annual date to finish Christmas shopping for our kids. There is something special about dinner and trying to decide what would would make our kids jump with excitement on Christmas morning
- Passing out gift bags at the retirement home, as a whole family
- A day spent at Bass Pro and lunch out together
- A successful and unseasonably warm trip to Zoo Lights with some friends we rarely get to see
- Christmas morning hearing Blake announce he was coming upstairs and watching Brian dart out of bed so fast in order to see his expression
- The fact that although the presents from Santa were all laying out, he would notice one at a time then was shocked to see another one sitting there
- Watching Piper actually LOVE her present from Santa even though she is so young
- Despite hating the reason it happened, having an entire day Christmas day to be home with my kids, let them play at their pace and make a big feast to enjoy together that night was so great!
The list could go on and on...but what never stops amazing me is how is it less about the gifts and more about watching the kids excitement, all the activities as a family, the traditions that we do every year that we do because they have meaning to US, and although we do buy gifts (probably too many), I am constantly amazed that they don't hold a place in my memory, they don't matter, they are tools for a spirit of giving, laughing and playing and a spirit of time together that really only comes but once a year!
So glad this year was a wonderful Christmas!!
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