merry christmas!

We are grateful for another very merry Christmas this year!  We spent Christmas Eve in our home, joined by some of our beloved family friends.  Then we had Christmas morning at home before heading out to Mimi's house in Western MA.  We made a quick stop en route at Gramzy's house to spread some Christmas cheer and to deliver her presents, of course.  We arrived in Western MA in the later afternoon and had Christmas dinner at Mimi's house, surrounded by some of our favorite Berkshire friends.  And then to combat the post-Christmas blues, we ventured out to our favorite spot, The Eric Carle Museum, first thing in the morning after Christmas.  

The holidays can be such a rollercoaster.  They tend to be a little bit exhausting, often over scheduled, a lot of fun, sometimes overwhelming, and always filled with joy.  In the spirit of The Twelve Days of Christmas, here are 12 memories from this Christmas weekend that we hope to always remember:

1. Our children's nativity - Watching these little friends act out the nativity story is both tender and chaotic.  Harper was set on being Mary this year, and Hunter was a reluctant sheep that refused to stay in costume.  

Harper as Mary, Anne as the angel, and Teddy as Joseph

Tiny little nativity story actors and actresses:
From left--Hunter, Maddie, Harper, Teddy, Maxie, Anne, and Roy

2. Remembering Marjorie - Our hearts were full thinking of our angel friend, Marjorie, who we carried in our hearts this Christmas Eve.  Last year Marjorie was the shepherd in our nativity story, and we were thankful that we were able to share Christmas Eve with her family again this year.  Her memory was bright in all who shared the evening with us, and I know that Marjorie will continue to shepherd and light the way to the Christ child at Christmas and always.

3.  The Giving Manger - We started a new tradition this year called The Giving Manger.  Each day during the Christmas season we added a piece of straw to the manger to represent an act of service or kindness that we did for someone else.  Harper and Hunter were excited for the pile of straw to grow throughout the month, and as a parent, it was special to see this physical representation of all the sweet little things the kids had been doing for others.  Christmas Eve was the final night, and so Harper and Hunter were at last able to add baby Jesus to the manger--where a full soft bed awaited the little babe thanks to the acts of kindness that they had done.  I loved hearing Hunter happily say, "Goodnight baby Jesus!"

"Goodnight baby Jesus!"

4. Letters to Santa - Santa had visited Harper's school before Christmas break, and Harper and Hunter miraculously didn't melt down when confronted by this in-person contact.  Perhaps the treat he gave them helped?  They remain very afraid of "characters," and of course this was the real deal.  I love Harper's note "Thank you for coming to my school." She was also sure to clearly label the carrots for the reindeer.  Hunter, on the other hand, was focused on communicating his one Christmas wish: a horsey.  Hopefully Santa is up to the challenge; with a drawing like that, how could he let a little boy down?

5. All is calm, all is bright...  The moment before bedtime (grown-up bedtime, that is) on Christmas Eve is so special to me.  Finally all the work is done, the gifts wrapped, and the only thing that remains are a few hours of sleep before Christmas morning.  I love relishing in the quiet calm, the glow from the Christmas tree.  That stillness is magical.  I try not to think of the mess that I will have to clean up the next day!

6. Merry Christmas!  This Christmas morning was so much fun.  Both Harper and Hunter are at an age where they understand what Christmas is, and the morning when the wait is finally over is pretty much the most amazing thing in the world to them.  They were SO excited!  They are also such pure hearts that I think just the gifts in their stockings would have been enough for them--but Santa was sure to bring Hunter a whole STABLE of horses! How's that for the boy who just wanted one "horsey"?

Harper wished and wished for a Sofia the First doll, and while Mom may not be the biggest fan of Sofia, fortunately for Harper Mr. C is in the business of wish granting.  Sofia AND a matching dress were waiting for Harper on Christmas morning.  She couldn't have been more thrilled!

7. Christmas jammies - So I actually convinced Dallin to do matching jammies with the family this year!  Well, sort of; he opted out on the matching bottoms and wore his flannel pants instead.  But it was still so cute to see all my people decked out in their matching Hanna jams.  This moment may not happen again ever, but I savored it this year!

8. Letters from Santa - I have so many beloved memories of Christmas time as a child. My parents certainly made it a memorable experience for us, and I hope to do the same for my children because I want them to look back with the same happy feeling inside.  When I was growing up, I loved coming downstairs on Christmas morning to discover the note that Santa had left behind, next to the empty plate and glass where his cookies and milk had been.  Harper and Hunter were equally excited to discover their own correspondence from "Mr. C," as he signs his name in The Polar Express, our favorite Christmas story.

9. A visit to Gramzy!  Harper and Hunter were so excited to stop and see Gramzy and to deliver the gifts we had brought.  Hunter was enthusiastic about helping her unwrap everything too.  In fact, I don't know that she actually got to open any of her own gifts!  I love that there are 90+ years between them, but that age gap means nothing when it comes to how much they love each other.  

10. Christmas wonder - I remember being mesmerized by snow globes when I was a little girl.  The little flakes swirling about the water, the delicate music, I was entranced.  There was a snow globe that sat on my mother's dresser which, of course, eventually broke (I don't think I was the culprit though), but still she kept it there, sans glass encasement (and snow).  We loved to look at it, wind it up, listed to the music.  This year, Harper received a snow globe from Gramzy for Christmas, and immediately she and Hunter were transfixed.  I could see a little bit of myself as a child in the wonder of their eyes.  Also I was super paranoid about their snow globe dropping and breaking.  It has thus far survived though!

11. A visit to the Eric Carle Museum - The Eric Carle museum is one of Hunter's favorite places, and as soon as we leave, he will ask when we can go back.  In his mind, Mimi's house is pretty much synonymous with the Eric Carle Museum so it's nearly impossible for us to go out to Western MA without making a stop.  That said, it really was the perfect place to round out the Christmas weekend.  We got there right when it opened and enjoyed exploring the exhibits before making projects in the studio.  Harper loved illustrating her word book.  She loves letters and learning to spell words so most of the fun for her was picking out which words to include.

Mini museum-goer

12. Christmas stars - We love love loved the Christmas pictures that our friend Jerry took of the Hs this year, and our Christmas card was definitely my favorite that we have had so far.  So I was excited when Mimi's friend Mrs. Loux gave us this personalized pair of star picture frame ornaments; I knew just which photos to put inside!  We loved Christmas with our little Christmas stars this year, and hopefully we will have a new happy, healthy little star with us next year...