Merry Christmas! After 30 minutes, we could stall Belle no more & at 7:00 am allowed her to wake up Peanut and begin the Christmas festivities. The kiddos came downstairs to find 3 gifts each from Santa (just as Baby Jesus was gifted by the wise men). Belle received a gum ball machine, books & shrinkie dinks. Peanut got a Thomas the Train clock, Perplexus Rookie & all the necessary tools to create his beloved Starbucks vanilla steamers at home. For Bears 1st Christmas, Santa spoiled him with a few extras including a Bearington Bear, a variety of Green Toys and set of Greek Alphabet wooden blocks.
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| She LOVES nail polish! |
Along with stockings, Hubby & I gift each one of the kids something to read (collectible hardback book), something to wear (huge box full of winter clothing/mittens/hat) & something to do (game or toy). The kids also shop for one another. Past Christmases we've gone overboard & all the gifts actually took away from the joy of the day. Between sibling gifts & the 3 gift rule we've struck a nice balance.
(They also receive gifts galore from both sets of grandparents, cousins & godparents so trust me…no gift deprivation going on for these kiddos.)
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| Each of the kids received a Keepsake gift: Lenox 2012 Christmas Tree Plate. This year happened to be Greece. |
Once the kids opened all their gifts, we enjoyed a light breakfast of crock pot french toast & vanilla steamers. I had prepared breakfast the night before, spooned it into bowls & placed in the fridge making serving a snap.
After refueling, Hubby & I exchanged our gifts (we also follow the 3 gift rule) and prepared for brunch. YiaYia, Bopi & Theo N joined us for a brunch spread of eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, pancakes & strawberries. Can you tell that everyone has a favorite breakfast meat? It's Christmas so you have to have all your bases covered.
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| First bite of strawberry |
After a leisurely brunch, we lounged on the coach while the littles played Kinect. Then we grabbed some quick family shots before piling into the car & heading to Hubby's sister's house for Christmas dinner.
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| Yes I am aware Peanut is barefoot & I've got a zombie thing going on but after 20+ shots, this was pretty much the best we could get…like I said here we're a good 5 years away from getting a nice shot. |
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| The required baby's 1st Christmas bow shot. |
Hubby's sister & brother in law always host Christmas dinner & do a fabulous job. We dinned on prime rib, crab, shrimp, antipasto, chocolate ganache cake, cookies & more until our stomaches hurt. The cousins played the night away and ended up gathered around the piano playing carols.
It was a relaxing, family filled day. Sad to see it fly by…still soaking in all the magic of the season. Around here our Christmas decorations stay up until after Epiphany so let the celebrating continue!
Hope you had the Merriest of Christmases!
Very wonderful.
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