Christmas 2015

We put our tree up the weekend before Christmas in the hopes of having less time for the toddler to knock it down or yank the ornaments, lights, etc., from the branches. Also, we put it in the basement, where he only goes with strict supervision lest he reprogram the Xbox, Wii, stereo, etc.

Our tree

The blessed day finally came. My eight-year old son, who has been hoping and wishing to receive a Wii U for Christmas got up at 5 a.m. He couldn't open presents before everyone else got up but the night before I told him he could look at the presents. He spent some time determining which present was mostly likely the deepest desire of his heart and was pretty sure he had it pegged. Two hours later, once everyone else was up, he opened that package first. The initial corner of the box didn't look like a Wii U so he was feeling disappointed (and looking it too). Further tearing brought joy to his heart and face. We now own the Wii U with Mario Kart 8 pre-installed. He didn't want to go to Grandmama's house so he could play more.

J plays...

...Mario Kart 8

Playing with Mommy

My daughter picked out some presents for me from the local grocery store, which were these:

For daddy dearest!

As you can see, the white fudge-covered pretzels were sampled immediately, not so much the Scrub Daddy sponges (in fun colors!). Soon enough I discovered the real reason she bought them--she wanted to use them!

Washing dishes

Funny face

I should not complain since this establishes two important precedents. First, she can wash dishes. I can't wait for the next revision of the chore chart. Second, it's okay to buy gifts that are really for the giver and not the receiver. She's into crafts, I think I'll buy her a beer-making kit next year.

The toddler went down for a nap which meant we went to Mass in shifts. Naturally, my son and I took the later shift so we, I mean, he could get his fill in of Mario Kart bliss.

After the toddler's nap and lunch at home (we hoped no restaurants were open on Christmas day), we drove to Grandmama's house. The toddler was as cute as he could be, charming everyone there.

Cuddling with Grandmama

Playing with presents

Playing with big sister

My older son was also quite happy at Grandmama's. He received three other highly cherished items: a watch, a Magic 8 ball, and a t-shirt. The shirt was a cool Minecraft Creeper diagram. The most important part of the shirt was the "cool" part. The weather on the east coast has been unseasonably warm (the high was 70 Fahrenheit on Christmas Day) and he had been wearing a long sleeve polo shirt that was far too warm for the weather. He changed shirts immediately! Later he snoozed with his prized gifts on the shoulder of a prized auntie.

Best Christmas ever?

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.