Christmas Weekend 2017
Christmas 2017 was my favorite Christmas of our married life yet. Not because everything was perfect or glamorous, but because we spent extra time together, slowing down and investing in one another. I really tried hard to make this Christmas extra special by slowing down and resting and I was excited to see it all coming together, Christmas eve!
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, was Sunday, so I woke up early, got an a short run and headed off to church early, since I was on worship team. Landon and Niah did a little last minute shopping #reallate while I practiced and a few hours later, we were reunited. I so enjoyed being on worship team Christmas eve. There was something about singing Christmas carols, extra long and with extra passion that created such an excited feel to the air.
We left church and were greeted with a fresh snow FALL! I honestly don’t remember the last time we had a white Christmas and seeing little snowflakes fall from the sky, Christmas Eve was so magical and refreshing. We left for Landon’s parent’s place around three in the afternoon and spent the evening eating dinner together, playing games and opening presents.
Billy, Landon’s oldest brother, got the Lord of the Rings trilogy for Christmas, which meant we had to watch at least one all together! We stayed way too late, ate cookies, watched Lord of the Rings (very Christmasy, I know) and left around 1am.
Christmas Morning
One of my favorite memories from this Christmas was staying up until 2 am with Landon, wrapping Niah’s presents and watching the rest of It’s a Wonderful Life. Once we got back home, instead of crashing immediately, we chatted and stayed up like little kids awaiting Christmas morning. After the gifts were wrapped, we fell asleep and woke up around 8 am to an excited little boy.
I think he was most excited about the cinnamon rolls. A couple weeks before Christmas, I decided I wanted to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. I’d never made them before, but once they came out of the oven, I was super excited about the results. We noshed on our cinnamon rolls with steamy coffee, while Landon read out of Luke 2. Another new favorite tradition of mine is starting our Christmas morning with cinnamon rolls and the Christmas story. Listening to my husband remind us what Christmas is truly all about, is such a meaningful moment.
After we were filled and done with reading, we headed into the living room to open stockings and gifts. Benaiah got into the gifts this year and watching his sweet expressions of delight and wonder brought me so much joy!
Landon and I exchanged gifts and I was so excited to get a nice, warm coat! This girl does not like the cold. Landon loved his soccer shoes and we both enjoyed watching each other open the gifts we bought for one another.
After gifts, we put on a Christmas movie (can’t even remember which one) and then decided we were both craving a run. We bundled up and put Niah in about fourteen layers and took off through the fresh snow! Our run lasted about 1.5 miles before we froze and decided to call it a day. Although it was super short, it was fun to simply get out and move a little, together as a family.
Once we were back, we got ready and left to head to my Aunt’s for their annual Christmas celebration!
We enjoyed the usual fixings, turkey and all the good stuff (like stuffing!) and mingled with family. Annual group photo going strong, we’ve been doing this photo since early 90s, I believe and it is amazing to see how much we all have changed!
After filling ourselves with delicious food and singing a few songs, we headed to my parent’s for our gift exchange. Instead of snapping pictures throughout the night, I decided to unplug and enjoy each moment with my family! Now, looking back I wish I had a few pictures to share, but by the end of the day, all I wanted to do was sit back and enjoy time with my parents and siblings.
We all exchanged gifts and one of the best gifts was my sister, Emily’s gift to us. She crotchet, by hand, a huge blanket and it was beautiful! Knowing the amount of time and energy she poured into the gift was so special and heartwarming! Thank you, Emily! My sister in law also brought over a book with my brother’s voice recorded, reading it. It was such a special moment to remember him together, since he has been overseas for quite a few months. Needless to say, there were some tears involved. We ended the night with my family by watching Elf and leaving late in the night.
Looking back, if I had to pick a word, I would say this Christmas was rich. I came off of Christmas weekend, feeling filled, loved, and thankful for all of the good gifts we’ve been given. And not the tangible ones, necessarily, but the gifts like family, a warm place to sleep at night, good food, and most of all Jesus.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a refreshing upcoming weekend!
Questions
- What did you do for Christmas?
- Do you have a traditional Christmas morning breakfast?
- How do you celebrate Christmas normally?