Christmas

This year Christmas was a bit unusual for us.  We had decided to take a trip to Florida for the Christmas break, so we did Christmas early, about six days early.  Friday morning we woke up to have our Christmas celebrations.  Last year the lights on our pre-lit tree died, and it was a small tree, so we decided to give it away and get a new one this year.  Well, because of all the travel preparations and house remodeling, a new tree just didn't get bought.  So, I pulled out some green stuff (can't remember what it's called) and made a tree on our lamp.  The kids loved it.  I thought it was tacky, but hey, it was better than nothing.

From the complaining of previous years, I told the kids that they weren't getting anything big this year, that I was just getting things for the whole family.  They ended up getting snack bags of chips and a dollar store flashlight, in their stockings.  The family got a puzzle, hot wheel car sets, and bandaloon sets (the rubber band bracelets).  Also, we picked names and I told the kids that they couldn't spend money for their gifts.  They had to make something.  I coached them that the things they received from each other would probably not be something cool, but to appreciate the time and energy that the other person put into it.  Besides making something for their person they picked, they decided to give random old toys to each other.  And, that was it.  This was the happiest Christmas we've ever had.  No complaining, whining, or anything.

We opened presents, played for a little bit, and then packed up to leave.  We drove about an hour and half when the car started smoking.  I had begged to bring a trailer rigged up for camping, but the car just couldn't take it, so we headed back.  Rob's brother had a motorhome that needed some cleaning up, but was available, so we got that ready and headed out again.  This time, we stopped about a half hour away, for gas, and then didn't start again.  Rob's brother came to save us.  It was something that could be fixed pretty simply, but, we took it as a sign that we shouldn't leave quite yet.  Besides, by the time we got home, it was 8:00 pm.  So, life went on as usual.  Except for the fact that we were in a sort of time warp.  Christmas was over for us, but not anyone else.  The kids got presents at church, people were dropping stuff by, and I was also doing some delivering.  It was just weird.  And then, of course, we still had Christmas Eve and Christmas day, at home, so something HAD to be done.

Christmas Eve, I prepared a cracker tray and a veggie tray, and made pizza rolls.  I played Christmas music in the background while we ate, and then we played fun family games together.  It was a fun Christmas Eve party, with just us.  After the games, we watched Frosty the Snowman and a Chipmunk Christmas movie.

I had already cleaned up my makeshift tree, so I made a tree out of some construction paper I had sitting around.  I didn't have enough green, so I used a little blue, but it turned out pretty cute, and was a fun surprise for the kids when they woke up.  We wrapped some money for each of them, so they would still get something (I had planned on giving money originally, but forgot, so this actually worked out good).  Still not the typical Christmas morning, since we already did that, but, instead of being exhausted from the preparations, I have energy to do other things, like take the kids caroling to people who are lonely for Christmas.  You know, I think this is a new Christmas tradition I'd like to keep up.  This has been the best Christmas so far, (not counting when the kids were too young to 'care' about what they got for Christmas).