Another wonderful Christmas season has come and is now slowing fading away. Admittedly, I have had this window open for weeks trying to find the time to sit down and document our December. I wanted to still share all of the festive touches around our home as we are still enjoying them with the warm glow of the lights on at night. I plan to leave them up until the 6th in honor of Ephipany. I like this tradition for a multitude of reasons, honoring the true meaning of the season while not letting it slip away too quickly. The hustle and bustle of December is something I typically enjoy but to be honest I have felt a big let down in these days after Christmas. Being sick, being behind, not getting to do all of the festive things, wishing family could stay just a little bit longer… I don’t want to go all Bah Humbug before remembering all of the joy of the season. Always. But even more so this year.
2024 brought all the magic through the eyes of our little guy. At 2.5 (3 in March), he really got the hang of the Christmas thing this year. He seemed to be understanding that Santa is watching and ‘brings presents to the good little girls and boys’ (in his words). While simultaneously asking every few days “where’s Santa?”, his tiny arms thrown up in question as well. We put treats in the advent calendar which was such a highlight. Every morning he excitedly woke up, retrieved his step stool and would ask me “you think there’s sumpin’ in the calendar today?”. It made me laugh because even this little thing seemed like something so magical to him. Some days he would thank me for the little gift and others he wondered if Santa left it for him. Oh my heart.
He picked out little Christmas jammies every night and festive shirts each day, with his Bluey Christmas sweater being the favorite (so much so that he won the fight over his special and much fancier Christmas Eve outfit for church). He got to participate in the program at his preschool. He was a Shepard in the nativity and his class practiced singing jingle bells all month. He sang loudly and proudly at home for weeks, only to have a little stage fright when the time came. But it was so cute and such a hoot to see those little guys up on stage. He proudly wore his tartan plaid blazer that has been passed down amongst our friend group, which made me smile to think about the other sweet boys wearing it for past Christmas events.
We went to a backyard movie night with little friends leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve morning we had our annual friends gift exchange. A tradition started with my three best friends in high school that has carried us through the years. No matter where in the world we were at times, we Skyped, shipped, had it at all of our moms houses (times two and three), eventually our own homes and now with our combined seven children. 23 years this year and it’s one of the most special times that we all look forward to. Following the morning excitement, we hosted 18 at our home for our annual shrimp and grits dinner. I love having all sides of our families over. The fact that everyone gets along and enjoys catching up with each other…it’s not lost on me how rare and wonderful this is. I love that Zeppy can have all of his special occasions with all of his grandparents there, his aunts and uncles and his big cousins who he loves so much! We woke up slowly on Christmas morning and had to remind him that Santa visited. I really savored this moment as I know in years to come it will be much earlier and much more chaotic. He was stunned to see a brand new ‘bike boy bike’ under the tree with a big red bow on it. We made it through a few smaller gifts and he was ready to take his new wheels for a spin. We spent the rest of the day visiting family and playing with all of Z’s exciting new treasures. It was the year of Spidey, Dinosaurs and legos that’s for sure.
Now we’re enjoying a slow week before back to school on the 6th. Playing with all of our new toys, getting organized and cleaned up for the new year, working on little house projects. In between naps and playing with grandparents, I’ve been slowly planning my work year and goals for 2025. Gone are ‘resolutions’ for us. I enjoy making an attainable goal list that consists of personal, career and home things I want to accomplish.
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that you are able to savor a little bit of these slow days before 2025 hits.
xoxo
