This Christmas holiday has been such a lovely time of relaxing, gathering with loved ones, and enjoying home – how I wish it would never end! I absolutely love Christmas and having the time off to focus on what really matters with those I love and cherish most!
Our Christmas Eve festivities began at our church, where we heard a wonderful sermon that reminded us that all of our hopes, dreams, longings, and wishes for ourselves and others are found in the person of Jesus who came to earth and laid in a manger that blessed morning over two thousand years ago. My favorite part of the service (every year) is the ending where all of us light candles and sing “Silent Night” accapella. It is truly a gorgeous and holy experience.
After the service, we headed back home where we hosted my dad’s side of the family and celebrated Christmas together. We had tons of good food and drink, exchanged gifts, and then played Apples to Apples, which was a new experience for me. It was so much fun I think I’m going to have to buy it to keep around here for future gatherings!
Christmas morning arrived and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the early morning hours next to the fire with my bible and a good cup of coffee while the hubby slept in. After I woke him up, we enjoyed a lite breakfast and did our gift exchange. As always, my hubby spoiled me rotten in gifts – I am now the proud owner of Kindle Fire HD, a Garmin Forerunner, and a new COACH purse – WOW! I was literally speechless…he really is the BEST Santa a girl could ask for, and the most amazing husband in the world! This was our 9th Christmas together – hard to believe how fast time has flown. It was nice to sit by the tree and reminisce on Christmases past as we opened gifts and relaxed before venturing out for the day.
We spent the majority of the day with my mom’s side of the family at my grandparents’ house. After opening gifts with my mom and step-dad, the rest of the family showed up and this year we did our first White Elephant gift exchange. There was definitely an interesting and varied assortment of gifts, which really made for a great deal of laughter. We then indulged in a buffet style dinner, drinks, and fabulous desserts. Yum!
We ended the day by coming home and chilling out in our big comfy chairs, sorting through our gifts and chit chatting on how we both had another great Christmas together and with family and friends. As always, it was so nice to just be surrounded by those we love most and to take time to just “be” for a while. All of us need more time like this in our lives, and I appreciate that Christmas gives us the opportunity to do just that!
I hope each and every one of you also had a lovely holiday! Merry Christmas from our home to yours!