Let’s Look

Hello!

Today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for the last Let’s Look of 2022!

This year, we’ve looked at:

• How you organize for the new year in January.
• What you eat in a week in February.
• Your faves from high school/college in March. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
• How you plan/do date nights in April.
• Your hometown in May.
• Go to summer lunches in June..
• How you keep healthy in July.
• How you do ‘every day’ cleaning in August. (I didn’t have a post that month.)
• Organize your closet in September.
• Select your Halloween costumes in October.
• Where we shop for our moms in November (I overlooked the date and missed this post)

This month’s topic is: how you host holiday parties.

Well, my answer is short and sweet. I don’t. {😂}

I decided to take a twist on this topic and share how we holiday.

Holiday Parties:

There are always a few parties that we attend. Trav’s work always has a Christmas party that is lots of fun. It’s family friendly and Santa is there.

Our friends always host a party in mid-December with neighborhood and school friends’ parents. There’s usually a beer tasting, live music, a specialty cocktail, great food, wonderful friends, and more! It’s always a fun get together.

Through the years, we’ve also attended my work Christmas party when we can, cookie decorating with moms and kids when the kids were younger, ornament exchanges, various “cookies with Santa” and more. One party that I miss is our neighborhood Christmas party. We used to have a progressive one with one house for apps, one for dinner, and one for dessert. Covid killed that one, but I hope we can bring it back in the future. It was always so fun.

Merry Christmas x 6:

Here’s our Christmas break down…

For many many years, I didn’t miss a Kansas City Christmas. Even once the kids were born, we were able to go most years. The first KC Christmas I missed was 2009 when the kids were one month old. Obviously, it was the best choice to stay home rather than drive nine hours (longer with babies) in the car.

A few years ago, we started going every other year.

Anyway, on the years we went to KC, the kids would write a note to Santa asking him to come a bit early, and our elf would take it to the North Pole. We’d celebrate the morning of December 22nd or 23 depending on our schedule. Then, we’d head to see family.

On the years we stay home, Santa comes on Christmas Eve, of course.

Thankfully, this has worked for our family quite well.

That being said, when we do go to Kansas City, we end up having a total of six Christmases! Six.

• We have ours at home.
• We celebrate on December 23rd with Trav’s family (We do this every year regardless of staying home or traveling for Christmas)
• In Missouri, we go to my dad’s cousin’s house for Christmas Eve.
• We spend Christmas morning with my dad.
• Christmas afternoon with my mom.
• Christmas evening with my Gma.

See…six Christmases! It’s a blessing, but it’s busy.

Let’s Look:

There’s always a variety of food and activities at each of our Christmases…

Christmas at home:

For our Christmas at home, I usually make a nice dinner for Christmas Eve or Christmas depending if we are staying home or not. Hadley always request salmon, and I make the green beans everyone loves along with Bob Evan’s mashed potatoes. We always make Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt Cake for dessert.

Again, whichever day is our Christmas morning, I still always try to keep it pretty simple with cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. There have been times I’ve made monkey bread or a breakfast casserole too.

Christmas Eve Eve:

My mother-in-law always has lots of apps, and we usually have lasagna for dinner. Then we open gifts, followed by stockings. She’s the queen of baking, so there are lots of dessert options!

Christmas Eve:

At my dad’s cousin’s house, we always look forward to the salmon appetizer as well as other apps. Another cousin always make bacon wrapped jalapenos which are a hit. We always have a nice dinner, a gift exchange, and then usually play a board or card game as a family. It’s usually intense. haha

A favorite is Left, Right, Center!

Christmas morning:

At my dad’s, we open gifts, have breakfast (usually eggs, bacon, and mimosas (for the adults)), and then watch A Christmas Story.

Christmas afternoon:

Once we get to my mom’s we open presents and stockings. Then, by this point, we’ve already eaten quite a bit over the last couple of days, so she usually just has some snacks for us. Typically, we watch another movie and I end up getting a nap!

Christmas evening:

At my grandma’s, she has a couple of appetizers, then we open gifts. After that, she always has a nice meal (sometimes prime rib!), and her table is always so festive.

Shew! So, that’s a little bit about how we holiday. Honestly, there are times I wish I took the initiative to host a party, but between the end of the semester at school, kids’ activities, and just the general busyness of December, it’s nice to celebrate with friends, but I just don’t seem to have the energy to host!

I can’t wait for the 2023 Let’s Look topics. Until then, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.