There is no way that I could possibly sum up our yuletide gaiety in one post, but since one of my New Year’s resolutions is to overachieve, I ‘ll do my best.
I’m kidding of course, because first of all I don’t make New Year’s resolutions and secondly, if I did, my goal would just be to achieve which would be a step up from underachieve.
Anyway, Christmas Eve morning we went to church. In my naivete and post sugar cookie delirium, I decided to let Caroline come to big church with us because I thought she’d enjoy the Christmas carols. This plan was doomed from the beginning. The biggest part of the problem was that our worship leaders didn’t really sing any traditional Christmas songs.
Call me a traditionalist, but I don’t need my Christmas carols all tricked up like a show pony. I realize that worship leaders are musical artists and they are looking for the WOW factor, but it’s Christmas Eve, it comes one time a year and I just want to sing a nice, simple version of O Holy Night. Seriously.
After I had to haul Caroline to her Sunday school class a whole 10 minutes into the service, I came back to sing a few more NON-Christmas songs (seriously, it’s a huge pet peeve). The rest of the service was lovely and our pastor’s message was beautiful. I go to get Caroline out of her class and as we’re walking towards the car, ask her what she learned. She said, “I learned that I can’t be loud in big church.”
I’m betting it will be a short lived lesson.
Speaking of betting, we’ve got a pool going as to how long the newest member of our household is going to last. Nemo, our new fish, was delivered by Santa Claus on Christmas morning and is in the process of being literally loved to death.
Caroline actually slept until almost 8:00 Christmas morning which never happens. When she woke up, I went in her room and she asked, “Did Santa come?” and I told her, “I don’t know, you need to go see”. She said, “If he didn’t come, I’m going to say bummer”.
Thank goodness he came.
He came bearing the above mentioned fish, a viewmaster, Star Station, Barbie, a stuffed puppy with a carrier and some playdough. It was an abundance of riches.
One of the biggest surprises of the day was when P gave me a pair of diamond earrings. To fully appreciate the enormity, I need to tell y’all that P is not a frequenter of jewelry type stores. In fact, I am certain this was his first trip to a jewelry store since he purchased my engagement ring almost 10 years ago. I was beyond thrilled at the gift. They are so beautiful and sparkle like crazy. I may never take them off. He’s come a long way since he bought me a deer feeder for my birthday while we were dating.
And yes, I married him anyway because he’s cute.
This will go down as one of my favorite Christmases. This was the first year that Caroline really understood what was going on and watching her excitement as we fixed Santa a glass of chocolate milk (because it’s his favorite, Mama!) and cookies and then seeing her amazement at everything under the tree on Christmas morning made some of the best memories of my life.
This morning we have laid around nursing our Christmas hangover and I don’t mean the kind from too much eggnog laced with Wild Turkey. I mean the kind from too much food, so much fun and definitely not enough sleep. Caroline is so tired that she had a complete meltdown because she wanted to wear a diaper this morning. I guess even the thought of having to go to all the trouble and effort the bathroom requires is just too much to think about. Unfortunately for her, I won that argument and she’s going to have to walk the five feet to the bathroom just like the rest of us.
I’m hoping in the next hour or so, we might be able to settle in for a long winter’s nap but I’d settle for even an hour of sleep. Let’s just say whoever wrote God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen did not have three year old in the house.
And speaking of rest, I’ll end this eloquent post or you know…rambling with a tribute to my once beautiful, living Christmas tree which is now so beyond dead that it may spontaneously combust in our living room. May she rest in peace. As Bops noted Christmas Eve in a fit of Christmas cheer, it was totally worth that $100, maybe if we’d bought the $200 tree it would have lived through Christmas.