Christmas Recap

My Christmas, in a word, was blissful. Besides the guilt of not sending out the packages or my Christmas cards on-time (eh, I haven?t sent them YET to be honest), I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable holiday.
Christmas Eve Callum finished up his gifts (post to come), and then Mom, Fearthainn, Steve, the kids and I went skating. After Mom and Steve took the kids around the rink a few times, we picked up my Grandma and all of us went back to our place for home-made clam chowder, biscuits and salad. There were a few hiccups along the way but Fearthainn and I are Domestic Goddesses and it all came together. I had planned on fresh baked bread but instead of making the bread the old fashioned way I relied on my bread maker, and well, the result was a bullet of yuck. It didn’t rise and it tasted horrific. Thankfully, I am related to the World’s Best Biscuit Maker (Fearthainn) who whipped up a double batch of amazing biscuits. Is there nothing more awesome than biscuits fresh from the oven with honey? I think not.
Then after I finished putting together the salad I realized that I didn’t have an ounce of salad dressing in the house as salad dressing is now one of those items I no longer buy. We managed to make up a batch of Ranch dressing with what I had on hand that was pretty tasty so possible catastrophe was averted!
Yes, no salad dressing is a catastrophe. That is how hard my life is.

Our evening was low key; the kids got to open a gift, put on their Grandma-made pyjamas, read ?Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then off to bed to eagerly await Santa. The adults had a tonne of fun putting together the toddler piano and giving it a whirl.

Christmas morning had me up early to get the cinnamon buns on the go, and truth be told, it was quite enjoyable. Everyone slept late, so by the time they were moving I had made fruit salad, had the cinnamon buns ready for their last rising, and enjoyed a cup of coffee and eggnog. It was so fun to watch the kids see what Santa left for them.


Fearthainn and Mom came over for 9, we opened our gifts and then feasted on pancakes, home-made blackberry syrup, cinnamon buns, fruit salad and eggnog lattes thanks to Mom bringing her latte-making machine with her. Pretty damn awesome.
The rest of the afternoon we did next to nothing. We didn?t even tidy up. One enormous advantage to not using paper wrapping anymore is that the mess is a lot easier to deal with as you just fold the bag up. I was so proud of my family because there were only two boxes that were wrapped with wrapping paper instead of either a reusable bag (or one my Mom created from the endless Christmas flyers) or box. Fearthainn and I were talking about how we still think it feels weird to not rip the wrapping paper off your gift, but my Mom pointed out that Callum thinks presents just come in bags. It?s his norm, even if it isn?t ours yet. He?s spent the days since Christmas wrapping everything in site in a tea towel and placing it under the tree in order to re-create Christmas.

Dinner found us dressed up in our Christmas finest and heading to my Grandma?s house, where we feasted, yet again. The kids were wild by 8, though, so we had to call it a night.

Although the season has been packed (I even PUT AWAY Christmas before sending out the packages and cards, I suck), I?m probably going to be blogging about it all week. A week?s worth of Christmas Craft Blog Posts. I?m sure you?re giddy.

3 Responses to “Christmas Recap”

1. pogonip says:

   December 30, 2009 at 1:05 pm

   Love your family portrait–and the kidlets in jammies!
2. Laura says:

   December 30, 2009 at 2:48 pm

   I am actually giddy about the concept of more crafty posts from you. Yippee! And speaking of giddy, the pic of the two kids running around in their diapers is VERY similar to what we experienced at about 9pm on Christmas Eve. I’ll have to post the video.
   Love that Callum’s norm = presents in bags or cloth. You are raising those kids right, Amber! Rock on!
3. Candi says:

   January 2, 2010 at 1:18 pm

   I LOVE that family Christmas photo!!! If my ass weren’t so fat right now, I wouldve taken one, too. :: sigh :: I have issues.
   I’m glad you had a super relaxing and blissful Christmas! We did, too.