We began our Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve. We always go to my Mom and Dad's on Christmas eve. We open one gift on Christmas eve, and the rest are for Christmas morning. When I was a kid we used to stay up really late playing board games on Christmas eve and we had a big dinner and sometimes we made homemade ice cream.
My youngest, opening a roll of dollar bills - he had $50, which of course is a great present for an 11 year old. I don't remember Christmas gifts like that as a kid? His Aunt spoils him.
I love the old decorations on my Mom's Christmas tree, they've been on there my whole life some of them. I was three when this was new. We celebrate Christmas eve and return on Christmas morning after we open our own gifts at home.
My oldest holding her little cousin.
We had a snowstorm this Christmas. Woke up Christmas morning with the weather advisories and was entirely skeptical about snow (I believe it when I see the white stuff hitting the ground). Well, by 10:30 am it was snowing. Not a Christmas Eve Blizzard as we had in 2010, but a full blown Christmas Day snowstorm. White Christmas in Oklahoma. Oklahoma where we could easily have a 70 degree Christmas and celebrate in shorts.
The magical moments before the kids are wake when the presents are all ready to go. When you get to walk in and see their surprise and excitement. That's what I love about being a Mom on Christmas.
Of course I still love getting Christmas presents from Mom! This year it was a purple tool kit of my very own and a necklace among other little things. Christmas from Mom is always the best it doesn't matter if you're six or 35.
So we opened our gifts and immediately had frustration with transferring Xbox accounts for my oldest son's gift. Of course technology and passwords and logins have to complicate our lives. We've moved from unwrapping toys strapped in like they are fragile explosives about to detonate -and you must be prepared with wire clippers and screw drivers to release them from their cardboard Chinese prison to, electronics issues. Electronic issues of epic proportions where it would be easier to get into a speakeasy in 1925 than log into the system. Microsoft needs to do some serious work on setting up family memberships on Xbox Live. Everyone must have a separate email connected to a "Gamer Tag" and if microsoft autogenerates said email address (that you don't ever use) it is incredibly difficult to figure out how to fix it.
We finally left for Christmas at Mom's. White Christmas. Snowing on mainstreet in Velma Oklahoma on Christmas day. The roads were icy and empty, our journey was short.
Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go. No, not actually. It's actually over the cattle guards and through the open range to Grandmother's house we go.
My little Cousin (and big cousin) got snowed in next door, so we had a big family for Christmas. It was great having little Miss and her Brother here for Christmas. She got along pretty well with her Great Uncle!
She loved carrying around my tiny puppy who celebrated Christmas with us. Umi, the Coyote as I call her.
Christmas dinner is ready! But before we eat, we had to go four wheeling out in the pastures along the trails...which reminds me I need to start running soon.
It was cold! Snowing and the wind was really blowing in our fairly short ride around the pastures.
The horses were out in the snow, they didn't seem to mind.
It was a nice Christmas, I love a White Christmas.
It was the first time in many years that we got to enjoy a "Baby's First Christmas." So special, I'm glad the cousins were snowed in (they probably weren't).
I was recruited to photograph the spark. Now, Mom, I know you read my posts. Right click on this photo and save it and show it to Daddy. So much easier than email. Yeah, I've killed two birds with one stone in this Christmas post.
So Merry Catmas to all of you. I hope you all enjoyed your family and friends and now let's get on to 2013.
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