Whirlwind of a Christmas

Wow, it came and went in a flash! We were so busy with all of the different family gatherings that we need a day of hibernation =). TIRED would be one way to describe it, but really we had a wonderful Christmas and are very thankful. I hate that it comes and goes so very quickly. It is awesome to have that time to just stop and gather and visit with family.

Our Christmas Day was wonderful. We woke up (albeit tired from being up late) and got ready. We had to get the girls up as they were tired also. They were pretty excited to see some gifts under the tree. My family came over for breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and fruit. We cleared off the breakfast table and set it for dinner just so we didn't have to do it later. The girls got changed out of their pj's into their Christmas attire. We sat down and Josh, myself, and Aliyah read the Christmas story aloud to the rest of the family members gathered. We proceeded with the gifts. This year we did it a bit different. Everyone picked a number and the one who got closest got to be the one to open the first gift. After the first gift, the opener of the gift went to the tree and chose any gift (except one for themselves) and then handed it to whomever it belonged. That person opened their gift and then chose another for someone else and so on. It was fun because it kept everyone involved and after all of that preparation and planning we got to enjoy the process a little bit more.
After cleaning up wrapping paper and all the mess, we watched our church's TV Christmas presentation. Following that, Josh and I finished up dinner prep. We sat down to a yummy meal and had plenty to go around.
Once we cleared off dinner, we got some toys out of their most annoyingly tied packages (yikes) and talked. It was beautiful also to watch snow begin to fall outside to give us a white Christmas. After all of the rain we had, who would have guessed? Now we have somewhere between 7-9 inches on the ground and it looks gorgeous!
We decided to travel the few blocks to grandma and grandpa's house so Josh could install their new ceiling fan in the kitchen. It was great because we got to help them set up their new items from Christmas like the coffee maker and toaster/convection oven and make sure they knew how everything worked. We also convinced them that they needed to throw away the old ceiling fan and coffee maker as they had certainly seen their better days. Grandma popped a few pizzas in the toaster/conv. oven and we snacked.
Once we came hone, we did a post-Christmas clean-up to reorganize the house. YIKES--Christmas is messy!
As we sit in a winter wonderland, the girls are enjoying their Christmas toys and I am thinking of the last few things that need cleaned/straightened as Josh and I are back to work after vacation.
Josh already went back today. I feel like taking up a bear's life and hibernating. After all, it's winter and cold and the holidays have been non-stop!