Friday, January 25, 2013

Christmas 2012

 Christmas 2011 did happen, but it happened in the middle of a family trying to move overseas.  It was awesome, I have pictures, but I never got around to putting them up here.  Not sure I want to make that a habit.  All that work and magic deserves some documentation!

So, although late, here’s our Christmas Day 2012.

It started with a visit from Santa in the wee hours of the morning.  He left our living room looking like this:IMG_0007 IMG_0002He ate up our cookies and left us a note.  Then left little ones snug in their beds, visions of sugar plums dancing and all that….until one of those little ones woke up at 3:02am and saw that Santa had in fact come (he leaves their stockings in their rooms so that they have something to occupy them when they wake up before we want to wake up).  This little someone, I can’t even remember who, decided to share the exciting news with his two sisters sleeping in his room with him (Karen was in Em’s room).  So, I woke up to bickering.  Hazel was yelling at Charlie about going back to sleep, that it wasn’t light yet, that they couldn’t wake up, Charlie felt wronged, Em was confused…..I went in and got angry, everyone was yelling about how everyone else was ruining Christmas and of course no one could go back to sleep with all that anticipation bursting out of them.  So, I sent Hazel in to sleep in my spot with Jeff and I climbed up into her upper bunk so that I could make sure no one said a peep and we all finally went back to sleep around 5am (except for Hazel, I don’t think she went back to sleep).  We woke up again at 7am and tried to forget that any of that madness even happened.  It did feel like a dream, but left us all a little more tired than we usually are on Christmas morning.  I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again, no more stockings in rooms.  Maybe just outside the door next year?  I’ll have to add that one to my list of things I’m going to do differently. 

We were happy to wake up to see that it was snowing outside, a nice light dusting covering our dreary winter world with big Christmas flakes softly falling.  Wish I’d have snapped a better picture than this, but there was kind of a lot going on. IMG_0029The kids all went in one at a time, littlest first, to see what treasures Santa had brought them. 

Despite my worries that they might not get their all their hearts desires (you know, that Christmas eve panic that maybe they’ll be disappointed after all that build up), they were all pleased as punch with their gifts.  We tried to keep it simple this year, but man, things always get out of hand.  I tried to stop in the blur of all of it to recognize how deeply and richly blessed we are to have such a full Christmas morning. 

Since the kids like to go back over the years and see what they got each Christmas, here they each are with their Santa treasures.     IMG_9999Peter got this Little People garage, cleaned up from eBay, and was utterly delighted, especially when we presented him with a box full of all the cars we could find in the house.  He played with this thing for practically every waking Christmas moment.  A big person would have to come along to help him after a while since there was always a huge traffic jam building up from all the cars going down those ramps. All in all, this gift was a winner. IMG_0020 IMG_0016IMG_0022 IMG_0023  EMMELINE: IMG_9997Emmeline asked Santa to bring her a real wooden high chair and a baby doll.  Last year he brought her a highchair, but the elves must have been slacking off, because it was plastic and the legs wouldn’t stay attached.  They did a much better job this year.  She also got some wooden fruit (5 cent bargain) and a book and a puzzle. IMG_0009IMG_0052 IMG_0040IMG_0054     CHARLIE:IMG_9998 Charlie asked Santa for the Lego Mindstorm.  I kept telling him all season that I didn't’ think Santa would bring such an extravagant gift that designed for children much older.  Poor little guy was mustering up all of his faith in Santa throughout the season.  But he took the blow gently and was excited about the Lego sorter and Lego book and Lego hovercraft.  Santa explained in his letter that his elves really do have strict age criteria for certain toys and that they felt that he could put all the legos he has to good use with the book and the sorter.  If he was disappointed , he didn’t let on.  He seemed as happy as could be.  IMG_0032 He was also pretty psyched about this t-shirt sent by Uncle John and Aunt Clarissa.  IMG_0034    HAZEL: IMG_9996We’ve done it, we’ve taken the plunge into American Girl doll land.  Hazel couldn’t be happier.  IMG_0043 (She looks tired though, doesn’t she?  Hazel, not the doll Molly.)IMG_0045IMG_0028I wish I had more pictures of all the other awesome gifts our kids received from grandparents and aunts and uncles.  We were all very spoiled.  I had a few ugly tear through the gifts and frantically grab/complain/wine for another one moments (especially with Emmeline)  which made me want to scale WAY back next year.  But, all in all people were happy.  We sat in a pile of glorious chaos and toys all day.  No one got out of their PJ’s.  We had a nice fancy brunch with our traditional Christmas Strata, but other than that we did nothing but sit like happy gluttons, eating, opening, playing.  We did visit the Krucks right before dinner.  We all went in our pajamas.    IMG_0012 IMG_0013IMG_0060Peter, still playing with that toy.  He gets the prize for the happiest, least demanding Christmas kid.  Just thrilled any time anyone handed him a present.  No grabbing, gimmes or tantrums, just pure delight.  I’m trying to cherish that, I know what’s to come! IMG_0065

It’s sort of crazy to go from this piled up Christmas tree: IMG_0010To this: IMG_4134

In 24 hours. It’s always so sad to let it all go.  Like I said before, I’m so thankful to have had such a bountiful Christmas. 

(But I’m working on a plan to do a major scale back next year.)

8 comments:

  1. I've been reading your blog for a while and was wondering, do you take any pleasure at all in your children? All you do is complain about their behaviour and attitude, they are KIDS and can't always act perfectly. I wish you would relax a little and just enjoy them.

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  2. As a long-time reader who has never commented, I want to thank you for another lovely post. I think you do a wonderful job conveying the joys of motherhood, along with its challenges. Your love for and joy in your children is very clear to me, and I love to read your blog. I appreciate that you share your joy with so many readers.

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  3. I, too, have been a long-time reader but never a commenter. I thoroughly enjoy your blog for many reasons. You convey such joy & love, not just for your children, but for life in general, through your awesome photography and words. Your post on the glistening whole a while back was so spot on & a perfect example of your perspective. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  4. I'm so happy to see this! Other than skype this is our best documentation of your Christmas! Wish we could have been there! Everything looked so beautiful!

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  5. I don't know that I know any moms who cherish motherhood and enjoy their children more than Saydi does. Thanks for being such an excellent example of deliberate, joyful motherhood. We really don't feel the joy as much if we don't recognize and learn from the hard stuff that is a necessary part of motherhood. Thanks for sharing the hard and the good, Saydi.

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  6. I absolutely love this post. As with many of your others, it brought tears to my eyes. What a perfect Christmas. I also love that your tree is a mish mash of random ornaments just like mine--with the darling handmade school ornaments of years past. You put things into words so well and I love your gift. I love you dear Saydi! Oh, and I am coming to Boston in April...maybe we could do breakfast or lunch? Let me know.

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  7. I've been following your blog for a long time but have never commented, thought this is an opportune time for me to do now. Saydi, I want to thank you for generously sharing your very inspiring blog. I've always enjoyed reading them all, the good and the not so good times. You even put a smile on my face as I read your difficult times with so many things going wrong during your English adventure having had similar experience with my husband and young children living in different countries once upon a time . Your wisdom for one so young, perspective on life in general, your obvious incredible immense love and joy in your children and motherhood touch me profoundly. Sometimes moved me to tears. I felt it through your blog . You are one amazing mum! You inspired me Saydi, THANK YOU!

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  8. Best mom ever! And the one person who sees the beautiful in everything! You are amazing

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