A Holly Jolly Christmas

Last year, we stayed home for the holiday's.  We had some family come down to Santiago but it was still not the same.  I guess that is what happens when you start a tradition and then break with it.  So,  this year we were determined to get back to what passes for normal.  And that meant travelling over 27 hours to get to my parent's place in Breckenridge.  In the 10 years B and I have been together we have only not celebrated there twice - once the first year we were dating and then last year.  Before B, I had been coming here for 7 years.

I wasn't really in the Christmas spirit when we packed up to leave.  It was 90 degrees that week in Santiago, the girls were in the pool almost every day and I didn't put many decorations up because I didn't want to have to take them down in the 90 degree mid-January heat.  I was sort of Bah-Humbug the whole month.

Until I got here.  And it was instantly Christmas.  For all of us.  Our moods turned festive.  We were once again where we belonged.  We wrapped and put presents under the tree and in stockings.  We had happy hours and big family dinners.  We had a fire and snow falling outside.  The girls went sledding and played in the snow...Stinkerbell was fascinated as she had not seen snow since she was 19 months old.

We are still here in Colorado as I write this.  We are taking the girls skiing today for the first time on the mountain.  Stinkerbell's very first time!  I think I am more excited than they are.

We had a fabulous, traditional (for us) family Christmas.  I thought I would leave you a few pictures to peek in on that magical time.  The girls are at the perfect age.  Their wonder and joy at the whole season are infectious.  I could do without the 5 am wake up call to go open presents, but then again, that is part of the fun.  And we made them wait until almost 8 am before we let them touch any.   It may seem cruel, but in the general scheme of things it wasn't so bad.   Because in the meantime, MadHatter regaled each of us with the tale of how she heard Santa's say Ho Ho Ho as he left the house and how the reindeer's bells jingled outside.  Stinkerbell was amazed that Santa left them a note thanking them for the cookies and even ate most of them.    She made me read it many, many times.  Both of them didn't want to leave the side of the tree.  Just in case the presents magically disappeared just as magically as they appeared.

We opened.  We played.  We laughed.  We drank mimosas and we ate our traditional Kringle.

Perfect Christmas.

Christmas Eve.  All dressed and ready for opening their stocking.  Then hearing the Night Before Christmas read by Nana and Grampa. 

Santa Came!!!

We put the girls to work before they could play with their presents.

And then the rest of us spent our time opening ours.  Slowly.  With a lot of talk in between.  While the girls played with ALL of their new things.  For about 5 minutes each before going back to the beginning and doing it again.