Merry Christmas morning! I�m up early, enjoying the (temporary) quiet of the house, drinking tea and eating Christmas cookies. It�s a stark contrast to yesterday. Christmas Eve, with all that we do, all the traditions we keep going, all the baking and cooking, and bustling, really takes it out of me. On top of it all, I had to work yesterday, so to put in the time I wrote down on my timecard (3 hours) and still get home early enough to enjoy the day with my family, I went in to work very early, like 6:30 a.m., and was able to get home by 10:30 a.m. Thank goodness for light holiday commuter traffic. Not too bad, but I didn�t get enough sleep. I depended on sugary treats and lots of caffeine to get me through the day.
Arriving at home, I set about baking the Christmas cookies. We always sit around the table on Christmas Eve afternoon frosting and decorating them together as a family, but first one has to actually make the darn things. Dispatched that task rather quickly, and had them all done by the time we left to pick K up and deliver our presents at 12:30 pm. Once we all got home again, the kids were surprised to see that Santa had visited our house while we were gone and left all of K�s presents and both kids� stockings around the Christmas tree. That sneaky Santa! We tell B that Santa makes a special visit to our house a day early just to drop off K�s presents, because she can�t be with us on Christmas morning. But not to worry! He�ll be back that night to bring her presents (and maybe some for Mama and Daddy too). She seems to accept that, for now. And letting her have her stocking with K is just enough to keep her from feeling left out.
So, while the kids are bouncing off the walls, trying very hard to break into their stockings when they think no one is watching (ah, but Mama is always watching, isn�t she?), I made the frosting and got everything ready for the cookie decorating jamboree. It went well, with not too much mess, resulting in a boatload of brightly decorated, if not overly frosted, Christmas cookies. Then K and P went downstairs to watch a Shirley Temple movie, and B and I made some food for the reindeer. Oats, sparkly red and green sugars, all mixed up in a little baggie, and there you have it. Reindeer food that catches the moonlight so the reindeer can find it in the grass.
At this point, B wanted to go watch the movie and eat popcorn, so I decided to try and catch a nap, and actually lay down for an hour. I think I did nap, because I got up feeling much more refreshed. I love afternoon naps.
At 6:00 pm I put the bread in the oven (it had been rising all day) and P set the table. Christmas Eve dinner at our house is always a seafood theme, usually crab, and this year was no exception. Beautiful king crab legs, which I got from work at a very special once-a-year-price, and because I�m very good friends with the salesman. Baked potatoes with sour cream and butter, fresh baked bread. Sparkling cider in champagne glasses (which the kids loved, and which caused B to make not one but SEVERAL toasts throughout dinner). By the end of the meal, there was a huge pile of discarded shells, an empty cider bottle, and four very full, satisfied people. While P and I cleaned up the kitchen, K and B went back to their stocking-sneaking ways, though they didn�t cross the line of bad behavior. It was all in good fun.
Finally, it was time for the reading of The Night before Christmas. P always does the reading, and we sit around him on the floor. We usually help him by reciting the lines we know by heart. K and I are pretty good at this, and B is just now catching on. She�ll have them all down one of these years. After the reading, the kids opened their stockings (finally!) and then K opened her presents. We let B open the presents K brought for her, so she was all happy.
Then it was time to sprinkle the reindeer food on the lawn, set out a cookie on a plate for Santa and leave it by the tree, and take K home in time for her to go to the 11:00 p.m. church service. While P was driving K home, I got B into her pajamas and settled down, and by the time P returned, we were both asleep (passed out) in our big bed. P went to move B into her own bed, but seemed to have second thoughts for some reason, and ended up leaving her in our bed for the night, which is where she still is right now. I�m expecting to hear her pitter-pattering at any time.
And Santa did, indeed, come back to our house last night, for when I came down the stairs, all around the tree were more presents, most of which have B�s name on them. And all that is left of the cookie is some crumbs on the plate. Note to self: remember to thank P for doing all that last night!
I wish a quiet, peaceful and happy Christmas day for all. Unless we get a call telling us the baby is coming, I�m planning on staying in my pajamas all day. I think it�s a great way to spend a day. Ho Ho Ho!
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