Christmas 2013

We'll start with Christmas Eve.  A little last minute shopping--the girls each bought presents for each other, and a present for Dad and a present for Mom.  So we wrapped those up and made some cookies for Santa.

That evening we did our Christmas Eve program: lots of Christmas songs, mostly duets played by Hallie and I, interspersed with Christmas stories including the Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, the Polar Express, and the Night Before Christmas.  We finished off by acting out the Nativity.  Some of the songs we played were: Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, We Three Kings, and Good King Wenceslas. 
CHRISTMAS EVE 2013:

Mommy-daughter duet--I love playing the piano with my daughter!

During jingle bells, we had everyone shake their North Pole Express bells

Claire sang a solo for us: Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella

 Nativity Time!

Claire was Mary

I was a wise man and Matt was Joseph.  Rob and Hallie were shepherds

Grammy was the innkeeper

Jess and Evie were the other wise men

I like how the pine ceiling makes it kinda look like we're in a stable

The cast. 

Then we set out the cookies and milk and went to bed so Santa could come!

CHRISTMAS MORNING 2013:

Evie's gift from Santa.  Santa scaled way back this year.  From now on, Santa will be giving one big gift and filling the stockings.  All the other gifts will of course be from Mom and Dad!

Claire's gift from Santa

Hallie's gift from Santa

Claire wearing her new outfit

Evie trying out her Flutterbye fairy--it is a really cool toy!

Man, I love those girls!

My favorite part of Christmas this year was how my girls really experienced the joy of giving to others.  They each gave a present to each other and they loved giving their gifts and they were so excited to see their sisters' reactions to their gifts.

The reactions usually looked something like this

Or this--they sure do love one another!

Helping Shae Shae open her gifts

One of Hallie's gifts from her sisters

The necklace the girls gave me

Hallie's gift from Evie

This is the reason we give gifts at Christmas!! So we can have this kind of love in our home!

 After the kids were pretty much done, we adults took a turn.  We're just not as cute or interesting as the kids :)

Matt and Jess got Downton Abbey for Christmas, which I had never seen before--but after the first episode, I was hooked!! It's about an aristocratic British family who must adjust to societal changes.  It's as if they made Pride and Prejudice into a series.  Awesome!!

Merry Christmas!!!

 Christmas in my home is always a very magical affair.  No wonder Christmas is my favorite holiday!  It isn't the gifts themselves, but the feeling of love behind the giving.  What a feeling of warmth, contentment, and joy.