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We just had such an over-the-top and excessive Christmas here, but loved absolutely every minute of it.
Firstly, we live near a wondrous candy cane lane that is a must visit every year. It’s special because you park your car and walk through (different from the drive-through versions that I’ve been to) and also because the neighborhood puts up a tent at the end, and Santa is there with his lap to sit on, and the line to see him is never too long. Parents snap pictures (the whole thing is free) and if you get there early there are sometimes even some toys (last year my middle daughter wanted a stuffed whale for Christmas and actually got one directly from Santa, talk about magical!)
My father-in-law came to visit with his wife (Hi April!) and though they stayed at a near-by hotel, my daughters were very concerned that they wouldn’t be here early enough to see the presents from Santa. So we made a deal that when we first woke-up my husband would call them immediately- before we even ventured downstairs- so that they could hop in the car and come over. So, we called at 6:20 am and tried to move slowly (difficult with a 11, 7, and 4 year old chomping at the bit) we put on some extra clothes and started heading down the stairs. But by the time we were at the bottom of the stairs, there was a knock on the door (time lapsed? About 2 minutes)! Taking the worries of the grandkids seriously, Grandaddy and April woke up at 4:30 and had been sitting outside the house in their car, in the rain, waiting for us to get up since 5:00! (I think this surely qualifies them for an award of some kind!)
Santa brought a Kit Kittredge doll for Littlest Daughter, a Cherry red electric Guitar with an amp that has an ‘insane’ button on it for Middlest Daughter, and a sizing/sewing mannequin for Eldest Daughter (tells a lot about their personalities, huh?) We got a lot of board games and played them to excess, only stopping to eat the giant Christmas meal that I made (wondering all along, “when in the world did I learn how to cook all this stuff?”) At dinner the girls announced that “tomorrow we’re going to play ALL DAY LONG with NO interruptions!” When asked what possibly interrupted them on THIS day, we were informed that the kids had been totally put-out by the requirement that they change out of their pajamas into some sort of daytime attire at 3:00 in the afternoon for dinner. Yes, indeedy. I’m an ogre!
Like every year, I have the intention to (in some way) note the passing of boxing day – or as I’ve named it Homebirth Action Day- but can never get my act together on the 26th, so here’s a few comics a couple of days later…inspired by the holiday…
Hope your Christmas (or Kwanzaa, or Solstice, or Hanukkah) was wonderful too!
xox,
Heather
It was a fabulous holiday and worth every second of not sleeping!
what a wonderful holiday.
i am so loving the comic.
i hope you have a wonderful new year!
heather in maine
we might be moving to new york! LOL call us the wonderers.
I appreciate your Christmas comic…but I had to comment. Culturally, the story of Jesus as presented by churches would not have happened (and it is also not the way the Bible describes it either.) The Bible states that there was no room at the inn, and that Mary laid Jesus in the manger. Since they were back in their hometown they would have had numerous family members in the area and undoubtedly stayed with one of them. For warmth, many homes had the stable on the first floor, and the people slept on the second, and mangers were often used lay babies in (since the mangers were readily available.) Even if Mary had been relegated to the first floor of her families home, due to lack of room on the 2nd (unlikely given her state of pregnancy), she undoubtedly had many female family members attending to her during the pregnancy, and quite possibly the local midwife. (although we can agree none of them were trained obstetricians!
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I love the story about your grandparents- it sounds like something my folks would do! Aren’t grandparents great and exceptional in their love of their grandkids?
I am so loving the story of your dad and April. My daughter, too, was miffed at having to get dressed before 4, and we had friends joining us just for dinner. The trials of the holidays.
“Taking the worries of the grandkids seriously, Grandaddy and April woke up at 4:30 and had been sitting outside the house in their car, in the rain, waiting for us to get up since 5:00! (I think this surely qualifies them for an award of some kind!)”
This brought tears to my eyes! THEY ROCK! Sainthood at the very least!
Susan
I teared up at the Grandparents story! That was AWESOME and they deserve a huge prize for that. I bet that they GOT their prize though – they got to spend the day with your wonderful family, they made the kids SUPER happy and I’m sure that this story will go down in the family tradition.