Christmas Day 2012

Christmas morning was absolutely precious. We left cookies and sweet tea out for Santa (Santa in the south doesn’t really like milk… so we do tea. :)  He didn’t disappoint and kept with tradition, by setting up our nativity on the fireplace. This year, even Elf-Elf was there to bow down to adore Baby Jesus. :)

I heard AB’s door open and she went straight to the living room. Next I heard a big gasp and her little feet running down the hallway, yelling, “Momma, Santa came, him’s left presents under the tree!” It was around 6:30, which is REALLY early for her. Last year we had to wake her up, so I was excited this year that she got up so early on her own!

We made our way to the living room to see what “Ho-Ho” had left. She looked around and said, “where’d he leave my Barbie car?” (The Barbie car has been top of her wish list for about a year now! I’m talking every time we drove by Toys R Us (which she calls ’Toys-N-Us’), she’d beg to go look at the Barbie car!).  Just as quickly as she questioned where the Barbie car was though, she moved on and was ready to open the gifts under the tree… (at our house, the kids’ gifts are from Santa and they aren’t under the tree until Christmas morning…they’re wrapped in Santa paper (different from the wrapping paper that we wrap our other family and friends’ gifts with)… Santa puts them in the big red bag, too….She opened a Dr. kit, which was a real hit – and a Barbie doll with a purple (her favorite color) dress on. She also had a gift from Daddy under the tree… (A purple “purse” - it’s a little wristlet wallet, but the perfect “purse” size for her). I didn’t know about this one  – he said he saw it while he was shopping for me and it was purple so he had to get it. :) So sweet.

After her three gifts, she was going to open her stocking, but DW asked her if she’d go turn off the Christmas lights that we’d left on all night. She jumped up and headed to the front door. We followed her and when she got there, she looked out the door and just froze!

It was precious… I thought she might jump up and down or scream…- she really surprised me with how she was opening presents this year… she was very calm and quiet-but still very sweet. She leaned on the glass and let out a little gasp- followed by “it’s a Barbie car…..for me!” She looked back at us and that sweet smile is one I will remember forever.
She was ready to take a spin, even if it was dark outside!

We went back inside to open our stockings and to wait on Mamie to wake up. Mames was excited to see something under the tree for her, too! Her own baby stroller and a couple other surprises, too! She was too cute trying to open her presents and of course she had big sister to help her! Santa brought Maybree a baby doll. I love the Madame Alexander “Baby Huggums” dolls- AB has one and now so does Mames. They’re a cute size and sweet to play with, and also are pretty enough to save as keepsakes. Mamie also got the Disney princess Little People talking castle. She got the princesses for her birthday from some friends, so it worked out perfectly! :)
AB had picked out a gift for Mamie and we picked out something for AB from Mames, too. They were cute opening them up together.
After the gifts and stockings were opened, we headed back outside to take the Barbie car for another spin! It was seriously one of the cutest things I have ever seen. So fun! Mamie was just as excited as AB! I can’t even think about these two being 16 & 13 and driving off in AB’s first car. I know it will be here before we know it. I had some packing I needed to do for our Christmas vacation, but I put it off and we just played. It was perfect.

Around 9:30, we headed to my in-laws’ for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast….in our jammies. Staying in our pajamas all morning on Christmas is the best.

We had a breakfast casserole, grits, pancakes, bacon, and my favorite, buckeyes. :)  In our family, Christmas morning is just not Christmas morning without a peanut butter ball…. There has only been one Christmas since DW and I have been together that we’ve gone to my in-laws and didn’t have any. My MIL says it will NEVER happen again either! :) Yes, we are well-loved around here. (On Christmas I’ll even claim we’re border line spoiled).  :)

Nie-Nie left us all choking back tears with her pre-gift speech and even though none of us would ever doubt how loved we are, it was sweet to hear it on Christmas morning.

We enjoyed exchanging our gifts and seeing all of the kids excitement as they opened theirs.

Our nephew, Warren, though, is by far the most fun person in the whole family to watch open gifts. He loves EVERYTHING no matter what it is. All of the kids are always really sweet, too, though…Warren just gets REALLY EXCITED! 

AB opened this crown, put it on, and kept it on until 10:00 that night! No joke.

This was one of the things on AB’s Christmas list that she got from Pappy & Nie-Nie… She saw this washing machine/dryer when we were out one day and fell in love with it. 

We’ve put her “washing machine” in her room by her dress-up dresses and she’s washed clothes every day since we’ve been home from vacation. I came in her room today and she had “washed” some of her own dirty clothes that were in her hamper! Ha. I hope she’s always this enthusiastic to do laundry.

We spent the rest of the morning enjoying the family and then headed back to our house to finish packing for our last Christmas celebration and a vacation with my side of the family!

Christmas Day 2012 will go down as one of my favorites for sure.

~amw~