My holiday.
Following nibsy's lead. Baaa.
Wednesday
Left work at noon and headed home to get myself, John and Jules packed up for the trip to my mom's. My dad has no family but for years now we've always done Christmas on Christmas Eve with her side, and it will probably never change. Got there sometime between 2:00 and 2:30. My mother recently moved into a smaller house than she and my dad shared when they were still married, so cramming fourteen people into her cozy space wasn't the MOST fun, but it wasn't bad.
We opened gifts first, taking a break mid-way through so I could go drive Julia around for a bit to get her to take a much needed nap. While I was gone they prepared dinner and we ate quickly before getting back to gifts.
The one complaint I have with how Christmas was done this year is that every year we as a family go to church. It used to be to 11:00pm service, which I love, because when it's over it's midnight and it's really Christmas Day. But as time goes by, and my grandfather gets older, we've moved it to the 7pm service. I don't mind that much, but what bothered me this year is that it was a HUGE ta-do to get everyone over to my mom's so early, we rushed through presents, we rushed through eating...and then the only people who went to church were me, John, my sister and her husband, and my father.
That annoys me.
I do not understand why we had to come over at 2pm instead of the usual 4pm to have no one actually attend the church service. I will be addressing this with my family today at my mother's open house.
Anyway...we went to church, and it was, as always, beautiful. I adore singing all the traditional Christmas carols and then finishing it off with Silent Night, sung acapella, and the only light in the church is provided by the single candles every worshiper is holding. Oh, and the giant Christmas tree up front. It's gorgeous.
We returned home that night, laden with presents and toys. I was completely spoiled by my family. I recieved four sweaters, including a great black sweater jacket from my sister so I quit stealing hers, and a lovely pair of three-tiered diamond earrings from my father. If there's one good thing coming from my parents divorce it's that my father now has a ton of Christmas money to spend on me and my sister instead of my mom. :) He's a fan of giving jewelry!
Also got a VCR for our basement, lots of Bath & Body lotion (red currant and thyme tea...mmm...), several scarves to dress up some of my work outfits, some cookbooks, etc. Put Julia to bed, and then drug ourselves downstairs to bring up her Santa gifts.
Thursday
Woke up with Julia and opened gifts. She had little interest in actually opening anything, but that's okay. :) Next year she'll be ripping away. John and I exchanged gifts. We went easy this year because of our upcoming trip to Vegas (May 15-18) for our fifth anniversary. I gave him the Rams 1999-2000 Super Bowl year highlights video, which we've now watched twice and gotten goosebumps each time reliving that one-yard win over the Titans. I also gave him the Simpson's Season 3 on DVD (because I didn't KNOW the Family Guy was out yet! *grr*), a lengthy heavy-duty extension cord (he asked for it), a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit page-a-day calendar, and a woodworking book.
He gave me lots of candy (Dove chocolate!), "Pirates" on DVD, Mah-Jong for the computer...it was all good.
Julia liked her toys, especially the Playskool learning table, and the easy chair we bought her, which I'll put up pictures of later.
We got ready and left for John's parents house, where we would be celebrating Christmas with his entire family. It was good fun, and thankfully we were home by 7:30 so we could go to bed early. :)
Friday
Bummed around the house a little, did some after-holiday shopping where I purchased most of my gift wrap, etc. for next year. We were expected at John's parents house again at 2pm to exchange gifts with his folks, his sister and her husband, and their kids. Again, good fun. The kids are a riot and get so excited over everything, and Julia really adores her cousins. Our big gift this year was for his parents, a portrait of all four grandchildren (with one on the way obviously not pictured), and the just LOVED it. Came home early from that, too, and watched tv until way too late.
Saturday
Got up and did shopping with my sister and Julia. The JCPenney at a local mall is closing and all their merchandise is 50-75% off. Did a bit of damage in the children's department. :)
Returned home and hung around, doing a million loads of laundry (all of Julia's new stuff required three SEPARATE loads to get it all washed - and I cram the stuff in there, too), then got ready for my final Christmas exchange with my best friends Amy and Susan, and Amy's daughter Kayla. Kayla is my godchild, and while we don't buy gifts for the adults, we do give gifts to the kids. She and Jules played on the floor, though almost-six-year-old Kayla was a bit nervous about Julia playing with her new My Little Pony's. :)
Ordered pizza and hung around a bit some more before they left and I went to bed.
Sunday
The day of rest? HA! Got up this morning to go out and hunt down a house-warming prezzie for my mom. Ended up with a Pier 1 gift card. Hope she likes. I'm currently typing this up while I wait for Julia to wake up from her nap. Of course, on the day where we have somewhere to be, she's been sleeping for two hours. The days we really need her to get in a good nap? We get a whopping thirty minutes out of her. *sigh*
When she wakes up we'll head to my mom's for her open house, and then John and I are using one of the many gift certficates we received to have dinner together because my sister and her husband are taking Julia over-night! Wheee!
I will almost be glad to return to work tomorrow. I need the routine of it back in my life!
Tomorrow should be relatively easy, and then on Tuesday I will be getting together with the lovely Ms. thecuckoo for our holiday visit. Can't wait!
Wednesday
Left work at noon and headed home to get myself, John and Jules packed up for the trip to my mom's. My dad has no family but for years now we've always done Christmas on Christmas Eve with her side, and it will probably never change. Got there sometime between 2:00 and 2:30. My mother recently moved into a smaller house than she and my dad shared when they were still married, so cramming fourteen people into her cozy space wasn't the MOST fun, but it wasn't bad.
We opened gifts first, taking a break mid-way through so I could go drive Julia around for a bit to get her to take a much needed nap. While I was gone they prepared dinner and we ate quickly before getting back to gifts.
The one complaint I have with how Christmas was done this year is that every year we as a family go to church. It used to be to 11:00pm service, which I love, because when it's over it's midnight and it's really Christmas Day. But as time goes by, and my grandfather gets older, we've moved it to the 7pm service. I don't mind that much, but what bothered me this year is that it was a HUGE ta-do to get everyone over to my mom's so early, we rushed through presents, we rushed through eating...and then the only people who went to church were me, John, my sister and her husband, and my father.
That annoys me.
I do not understand why we had to come over at 2pm instead of the usual 4pm to have no one actually attend the church service. I will be addressing this with my family today at my mother's open house.
Anyway...we went to church, and it was, as always, beautiful. I adore singing all the traditional Christmas carols and then finishing it off with Silent Night, sung acapella, and the only light in the church is provided by the single candles every worshiper is holding. Oh, and the giant Christmas tree up front. It's gorgeous.
We returned home that night, laden with presents and toys. I was completely spoiled by my family. I recieved four sweaters, including a great black sweater jacket from my sister so I quit stealing hers, and a lovely pair of three-tiered diamond earrings from my father. If there's one good thing coming from my parents divorce it's that my father now has a ton of Christmas money to spend on me and my sister instead of my mom. :) He's a fan of giving jewelry!
Also got a VCR for our basement, lots of Bath & Body lotion (red currant and thyme tea...mmm...), several scarves to dress up some of my work outfits, some cookbooks, etc. Put Julia to bed, and then drug ourselves downstairs to bring up her Santa gifts.
Thursday
Woke up with Julia and opened gifts. She had little interest in actually opening anything, but that's okay. :) Next year she'll be ripping away. John and I exchanged gifts. We went easy this year because of our upcoming trip to Vegas (May 15-18) for our fifth anniversary. I gave him the Rams 1999-2000 Super Bowl year highlights video, which we've now watched twice and gotten goosebumps each time reliving that one-yard win over the Titans. I also gave him the Simpson's Season 3 on DVD (because I didn't KNOW the Family Guy was out yet! *grr*), a lengthy heavy-duty extension cord (he asked for it), a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit page-a-day calendar, and a woodworking book.
He gave me lots of candy (Dove chocolate!), "Pirates" on DVD, Mah-Jong for the computer...it was all good.
Julia liked her toys, especially the Playskool learning table, and the easy chair we bought her, which I'll put up pictures of later.
We got ready and left for John's parents house, where we would be celebrating Christmas with his entire family. It was good fun, and thankfully we were home by 7:30 so we could go to bed early. :)
Friday
Bummed around the house a little, did some after-holiday shopping where I purchased most of my gift wrap, etc. for next year. We were expected at John's parents house again at 2pm to exchange gifts with his folks, his sister and her husband, and their kids. Again, good fun. The kids are a riot and get so excited over everything, and Julia really adores her cousins. Our big gift this year was for his parents, a portrait of all four grandchildren (with one on the way obviously not pictured), and the just LOVED it. Came home early from that, too, and watched tv until way too late.
Saturday
Got up and did shopping with my sister and Julia. The JCPenney at a local mall is closing and all their merchandise is 50-75% off. Did a bit of damage in the children's department. :)
Returned home and hung around, doing a million loads of laundry (all of Julia's new stuff required three SEPARATE loads to get it all washed - and I cram the stuff in there, too), then got ready for my final Christmas exchange with my best friends Amy and Susan, and Amy's daughter Kayla. Kayla is my godchild, and while we don't buy gifts for the adults, we do give gifts to the kids. She and Jules played on the floor, though almost-six-year-old Kayla was a bit nervous about Julia playing with her new My Little Pony's. :)
Ordered pizza and hung around a bit some more before they left and I went to bed.
Sunday
The day of rest? HA! Got up this morning to go out and hunt down a house-warming prezzie for my mom. Ended up with a Pier 1 gift card. Hope she likes. I'm currently typing this up while I wait for Julia to wake up from her nap. Of course, on the day where we have somewhere to be, she's been sleeping for two hours. The days we really need her to get in a good nap? We get a whopping thirty minutes out of her. *sigh*
When she wakes up we'll head to my mom's for her open house, and then John and I are using one of the many gift certficates we received to have dinner together because my sister and her husband are taking Julia over-night! Wheee!
I will almost be glad to return to work tomorrow. I need the routine of it back in my life!
Tomorrow should be relatively easy, and then on Tuesday I will be getting together with the lovely Ms. thecuckoo for our holiday visit. Can't wait!