so this is Christmas.

In our letter from Santa* this year, we were encouraged to keep more of a record of things. I don't know that a blog is the best way to do this, but I thought I'd jot down a few things here anyway.

We had a very nice Christmas. This morning we woke up at 6 to be at A's sister's house by 7 to watch the events of the morning. Next year we may just invite ourselves over to stay the night, because that was pretty darn early. It was so fun to see those kiddos so excited. Christmas is definitely more fun with kids around (or maybe toys).

When we got home, we opened our presents. We had played around with the idea of not doing anything for each other for Christmas this year, because we are moving and busy and honestly don't need anything, but last week we decided last minute to give gifts on a very small budget to avoid unnecessary gifts. Anyway, we each got a few things we had asked for, and a few we hadn't. I got two sets of weights to use when I do my pilates routine on the wii, the 3rd Glee CD, fleece boot liners for my Hunter Wellies, and some dark chocolate pomegranate treats. A got two new dress shirts and ties, an itunes gift card, and a thing you plug into your lighter in the car that you can plug USB things into, like a camera or ipod, to charge (I thought it would be useful on trips and such). Small, but perfect. We may do some clothes shopping in the next two weeks as well. I'm itching to do some thrifting, and A needs some new jeans.

Then we took a nap until lunchtime, when we got up and got going. We went to my parent's house and did some tidying up. My mom had her hip replaced a few weeks ago, and though she is quite mobile with her little walker, there are just some things she can't do yet. A also put together her spherical composter that has been in the box for a few months now. It looks like the deathstar.

Then we went to A's parents' house, where we had a snack (lunch-ish time) and played with kids. I was not watching the time very well, so right as everyone was gathering round to open presents, we had to jet off for the big Christmas dinner at my parents'. We did have time to open a very generous gift from the in-laws, and read our Santa letter in the car.

Dinner was great. We had a delicious and not too heavy meal of pork with a spicy citrus sauce and nice cabbage salad, with homemade rolls (which I was supposed to make, but my grandma had brought some over the day before, so I decided to simplify). Dessert was cheesecake: eggnog or pumpkin (or both, if you are me). My sister is a pro. I played princesses and then doctor with one of my nieces for a long time, and helped my nephew for a bit as he assembled a lego set. I also did the same puzzle three times with my other niece (she likes to dump), and got to talk with my brother in Australia, which was a real treat. It was very relaxed, and lovely.

Meanwhile, almost our whole kitchen is packed (minus our dishes and silverware), as are our bookshelves. We've pawned off all our front-room furniture, and are getting ready to list our family-room furniture for sale. I've started painting in our future home, and A and his dad have the walls all framed. I've been stressed about getting everything done (and getting lots of heartburn as a result) but I think things are really coming together. It's a Christmas miracle!

*A's dad is in with Santa, so we get a letter from him every year with advice for the next year. Santa knows his stuff, and has been known to make some accurate predictions.