We Survived Christmas!

Yay! Mike and I survived our first Christmas with two kids! It wasn't as hard as we thought, though we did end up leaving a few things behind at some people's houses. Nothing important - and we remembered to bring each child with us each time!

Christmas this year was a lot different than other years, yet very much the same. Usually we open presents and run around to the following - My uncle's, my mother's, my father's, Mike's parent's, home, then somewhere else for dinner (usually Mike's parent's or my dad's house) This year was much more relaxed, even though we really only cut down on two trips - but we only cut out one location.

(I won't get too much into it, but we also kept the Christmas eve tradition of afternoon drinks at my Auntie Trish and Uncle Kevin's place, followed by dinner with Mike's parents)

This was also the first year we didn't have to wake Alice up. She was more than happy to spring awake at 5:30am with her sister while I was heating up the morning bottle. Alice checked her stocking and I had her play with the items in it while I fed Jane. We then woke Mike at 6 and begun opening presents. It took about ha;f an hour...this includes the five seconds it took for Mike to play that stupid 'fireplace' on our new tv. Hilariously cheesy.

After presents, I wanted a nap, but knew it wasn't going to happen, so I had Mike open the champagne so I could make my Christmas morning mamosas. It was rather hard polishing off a whole bottle of champagne given the fact I am the only one in my household who drinks.

At 9am we went to my Uncle Mark's for breakfast. He's my dad's brother. Of all the things we 'cut out' on our Christmas day activities, we could never cut that out. It isn't Christmas without it. Good food and I get to see all of my dad's side of the family in one place. We were told this year that we weren't doing gift exchanges for the kids - so of course, Mike and I are the only ones who thought we might actually stick to that rule this year - and we were, unfortunately, the only people who didn't bring gifts for the other kids - but they honestly don't mind. Christmas is actually about family for my family (though presents are always fun!)

After breakfast we went to Mike's parents. We had to wait for Mike's dad to get home from work - but we didn't have to wait long. He got in around 1pm. We did the gift exchange there and then we took Mike's brother, Matt, home with us. He was going to join us for dinner.

Now, this is where plans changed. 6 months ago I had invited my mom and stepdad over for Christmas dinner. We were going to have tacos. A week before Christmas those plans changed. It was now all up in the air because my sister and her boyfriend finally moved out of my mom's house and my Grandma is in the process of moving in - so mom and Randy had no idea if Grandma would be coming for dinner or staying behind at their house. And if my grandma Did come, we would have had to make her something different for dinner because she hates all things Mexcian. (Yet she is somehow not a racist...)

The plan changed Christmas day. I made an 'executive decision' as I like to call it. I was calling off dinner and just having mom and Randy over for gift exchange. We were going to go down to my dad's for dinner. Darlene always makes a mean meal. And the best gravy I have ever had. It is better than my mom's - yes, I actually admitted it online for the world to see. My stepmother makes better gravy than my mom...but that is only because she makes it nice and thick. My mom's gravy has the same flavour, but the thickness of Darlene's gives it the upper hand.

We went down to my dad's for dinner and we had Mike's bro with us. Mike's bro is a vegetarian, but he isn't the type that you have to fuss around. He doesn't need someone to make special provisions for him when a dinner is made. Dad and Darlene still fussed over it, though - worrying that perhaps he would be hungry if there wasn't enough non-meat foods...but when you think about it, the only meat on the table was the turkey. Everything else was either vegetable, fruit, or bread!

Dinner was great. We did a small gift exchange there and had a couple drinks and relaxed. Alice went downstairs to play with some of my dad's hotwheels (he collects them, but he has a few that Alice can play with). We hung out for a bit and then it was time to take Matt home and put the kids to bed.

The next day is Boxing Day. That's the big Christmas dinner at my mom's house. We see my step sisters and my nephews and the grandmothers and everything. We eat so much food and dessert that would put a fat camp to shame. I drank very little alcohol compared to other years because I have an infant to look after again AND I was having a sleepover with my cousin, Emilija.


We left my mom's around 7 so we could go pick up Emilija. I left my contacnt info for Auntie Rasa, said a quick goodbye to my cousin Vaughan and we were out the door. We watched movies (I had a nap during Magic School Bus) and stayed up talking and watching movies until 3. We both called it a night and the next day Uncle Mark (her dad) came to pick her up to go shopping. It was pretty awesome.

This whole year has been awesome, actually!