Christmas Recap

Hello!

I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Ours was really good, and today I’m recapping how we wrapped up the Christmas season.

Also, this month, I didn’t get a share a memes post, so I’ve sprinkled a few holiday memes in today’s recap…for a few laughs.

On Friday afternoon, we delivered the toys and food boxes to five Operation Secret Santa families.

We were assigned families in a specific zip code, so deliveries only took about an hour. The kids (and Trav, when needed), put the gifts on the porches, knocked and then hopped in the car.

The kids had a good time with this, and it was a meaningful experience that I hope we can participate in again next year.

On Friday night, Travis and I went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Once we got home, the cousins exchanged gifts. It was a nice evening.

On Saturday, we headed to Louisville around 1:00 for Christmas Eve Eve at Trav’s mom’s house. There’s always lots of food, the kids play games, and then we open gifts. It’s a long day with lots of people, but it’s always a good time.

Since we weren’t heading to KC, we were back in Lex by noon on Christmas Eve. I baked Shay’s Peppermint Mocha Bundt cake while Trav prepped prime rib for dinner.

We ate dinner…

…before heading to Christmas Eve service at church. It’s always a beautiful service ending with Silent Night by candlelight. After that, we went to our friend’s house for a bit and were home by around 10.

I was starting to feel run down with a cold, so I headed to bed once we got home. The kids went to bed not too far after, but Travis was up late putting together a few things…

Courtesy of my dad, Hayden got a new bike, and we got Hadley a new desk/makeup table for her bedroom.

I was up around 7:30. While I was fairly confident the kids would sleep in, I wasn’t sure how long, and I had a few Christmas things to finish up.

Then, I did get some quiet time by the tree before the kids woke up. Hayden was up first at 9:15, and he woke up Hadley.

While this meme is relatable, I did just keep most everything unopened in boxes until I could wrap it. I think I wrapped more presents than usual this year because once they were wrapped, I could put them by the tree and the kids would have a harder time sneaking a peek!

We had a really nice morning. Hadley was excited for her “room refresh” that my friend helped put together, and Hayden was really excited for his new shoes.

Travis strikes again with the gift tags…haha

My very favorite gift was this one. Hadley did the wrapping:

…and inside the three packages were the best gifts ever. Of course, I cried.

I’m sure you’ve picked up on this, but Hadley’s easier to get a natural pic of whereas, Hayden is more hesitant…so I pick and choose when I bug him for a photo.

Anyway, Trav’s brother is a phenomenal photographer, and Travis and the kids went to his house last week for this photo session. I knew they were going there, but obviously didn’t know why. Hayden definitely didn’t leave the house in that button down shirt! Anyway, I can’t wait to find a place for these once I get all the Christmas decor put away.

Homer had a great Christmas day too!

After we face timed with KC family, we had brunch (Krusteaz cinnamon coffee cake and Sausage Hashbrown Breakfast casserole) and then Homer and I watched the Chiefs game. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was nice to have downtime at home to just relax.

Unfortunately, on Christmas, I started to feel worse, and knew my cold was turning into a sinus infection.

We all just hung out most of the day, and then we ended the evening watching National Lampoon Christmas Vacation before heading to bed.

We’re on a every other year rotation for going out of town, and it’s always hard not seeing family on Christmas day. We appreciate the extra time at home, but it still feels odd not seeing my family.

Overall, I’d say we had a really good Christmas season filled with lots of activities, traditions, baking, and more.

I went to the doctor yesterday, and got a prescription, so hopefully I will be better soon.

This week, I’m still hoping to share the books I read this year as well as a blogging recap to finish up 2023!

I hope you have a great day,