Our Christmas 2008

I can't believe it is over and I can't believe I was still wrapping some presents on Christmas Eve!!

Our traditional Christmas Eve started at 5:30 when we arrived at church in our newly refurbished, just gorgeous, worship center for our Candlelight service which begins at 6. Unfortunately, my DH didn't make it because he could not get off work on time. As some of you know, DH is a city letter carrier for the United Postal Service. Of course, as with any office of any occupation, you have your lazy employees who call out just because it is Christmas eve (and they still called out yesterday and today ARGH!! But I digress...because of said employees and because of those thousands of people who wait until the very last minute to ship packages or get those emails that offer ordering up to the very last minute with guaranteed delivery on Christmas Eve and buy more gifts just because the can get that delivery, my husband had to work late as there were more packages to be delivered Christmas eve, along with regular mail, than any other day this holiday season. So he didn't get to join us. However, one of his brothers and his daughter showed up (they used to attend church here but moved to another city about 45 minutes away about a year ago or so) so they sat with us...mom, dad, BIL, niece, 2 daughters and me. The service was beautiful, lots of hugs and well wishes from lots of people.


Then off to our traditional CE meal....SUBWAY!! Don't laugh...it started several years ago and just stuck.


This year, since my stepdaughter was with us Christmas Eve, we went over to my parents to open gifts over there since they would not see her Christmas morning. The girls got iTune Gift Cards, lip gloss multi packs, monogrammed key chains, DD got a Dooney Bourke cell phone case and DSD got a gift card to one of her favorite stores, and they both got rocking video game chairs that they can use to play videos, watch movies, or even just sit in and plug their iPods in and the music comes out speakers at the top of the chair. DH and I got a wonderful Christmas Book authored by Billy and Ruth Graham. Just beautiful with a little card inside with something special tucked in. Mom and Dad received from us an 8 x 10 of our family portrait, a gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice for dinner, and I had taken our old family movies and put them on DVD for them. (Yes I had one made for myself as well). And their precious furbaby received a sweater from us. We watched the DVD then headed home.


Christmas morning arrived and the girls were up bright and early. DH beat them up and started our Christmas breakfast and then the girls got me up and pictures were taken and presents began to unwrap. (Remember my girls are 16 1/2 and 15 1/2).

First, our furbabies got sweaters for this winter chill and my parent's furbaby sent them a pack of treats to open.


DSD received shirts, a hoodie with matching pants, "hotsoxx", 2 DVDs (House Bunny and Talledega Nights), a new iHome that does everything her stereo does in addition to having the alarm clock, dock for iPod, and charger for iPod, a Dooney wristlet, and a beautiful large sterling pendant with her initials monogrammed and it hangs on a black multi strand necklace. Thank you Pink Monogram for getting it here on time!! And lets not forget, the multi pack of Burts Bee's Original Lip Balm!


DD also received the BB lip Balm, the Dooney wristlet, a Dooney "Girly" tassel zip top purse (like link except green where pink and pink where green), 2 DVDs (Made of Honor and Over Her Dead Body), 2 blouses, a hoodie/pants like little sis but in pink, 2 pair of jeans, and of course her top of the list....Rock Band! Of course, dear ole mom here was smart....DD also got the drum silencer pads ;D


DH recieved from the girls a new pair of work shoes, a new pack of socks for work, and a pair of Nautica pajama/lounging pants. I also gave him some Lacoste khaki pants, a new belt to match his new shoes. I found the most luscious leather Cole Haan casual penny loafer/driving mocs in dark brown. I haven't checked to see if there is a ladies match but if there is, guess what I'm buying me!! LOL oh my...I just checked Cole Haan and until Jan 1 you can take an additional 30% off. I just found 2 pair of flats/driving mocs (1 fall/winter 1 summer) that I love, but still nothing similar to DHs. I want some as soft and supple as his are. Oh well...

At last me... DH really surprised me this year with a "big present". But back to that in a minute. Can't remember exactly what came from the girls and what came from him. I think from the girls I got the books: The Devil in the Junior League and The Ex-Debutante, both by Linda Francis Lee. (I still want The Wedding Diaries, I forgot to put that on my Christmas list). And I also got The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. (I have posted on him many times). From DH, I received the Estee Lauder Holiday Blockbuster (love the faux croc embossed patent leather train case this year...now DD gets the gold one from last year) and of course you have to purchase a fragrance with it so DH got my new fave scent from EL...Sensuous....yummy!

But then came the finale, the present I had to save till the end. I have waited patiently since marriage for jewelry....All wifes want jewelry from her husband....all girls want jewelry period. Well my watch has been giving me problems this year...My mom gave it to me several years ago because she was having a reaction to it (she is very sensitive to jewelry...even the real thing) and it was a gift from Duke University for her X number of years there (can't remember) and it was a Bulova. Never a problem until this year....I have had to change the battery 4 or 5 times this year!! And it stopped working again a few weeks ago. DH said maybe I should just get a new watch. I said maybe I will. I have been looking at several and found a gorgeous one while at the jeweler while DH was getting a new battery for his watch I gave him as a wedding gift. I never ever guessed he would have bought me a watch. But he did, not one I would have picked for myself, but once on my arm, I love it!!! I just need to have about 2 links removed so it will fit me.

AND....Santa came too!...The furbabies each got 2 bags of treats and Santa so generously left 2 bags of treats for us to carry to my parent's furbaby. Then all 3 of us girls got cards, candy, a gift certificates for manicures and pedicures! I will be so glad when my broken toes heal so we can go use them!! Thank you Santa!!

We ate our wonderful breakfast, I went back to bed, DH watched tv and slept off and on and the girls set up Rock Band and played till DH had to take DSD back to her mom's for Christmas day.

About 1, I finally awoke, DD was watching a movie, DH had just woke up and cooking began. Daddy had made a turkey and ham and stuffing at their house (and deviled eggs and rolls) along with a green bean casserole and pineapple casserole that he premade but brought to my house to actually go in the oven (theirs is on its last leg!!) so I cooked those for him, made sweet potato casserole, corn pudding YUMMY! and strawberry pretzel salad. I also made a white chocolate mousse with strawberry sauce for dessert. About 3:30 we headed back to my parents for Christmas dinner and then played on mom's Wii for about an hour or so. I'm going to have to sneak over there during the day and practice so next time I can actually beat my DD. Finally, home, a little rock band action, and then off to bed.

I guess I have rambled on enough, made up for all my days of missing in action. But hopefully I will be back more and more while I continue to recover.

I started this post by saying I am so glad its over but I just realized its not. Tomorrow, we have DD's family Christmas...luckily it's not a dinner but tons of finger foods. Should be about 30 of us. The adults (from DSD up) will do "dirty santa" where everyone gets a number, you pick a gift in order of your number, you can keep your gift or exchange with someone from an earlier pick. You know how it is, the last person usually ends up with the best gift!! The littlest kids drew names and will exchange gifts among themselves. The high school kids (only 3 left) and the small kids usually get something from the adults....don't know if anyone else is doing this, but we are. The one high schooler besides our 2 will get the ever popular CASH! Little kids will get gift certificates for ice cream or McDonalds (don't know which DH ended up getting) and the newest member of our family who is 7 months I think is getting 2 little gifts). OOPS...just remember our 4 gifts for dirty santa have to be wrapped, wonder if I can talk DD and her friend into wrapping them for me????

And then my brother and his family should probably come next weekend and my little doodlebug (niece) will get to open all her gifts from us and from my parents, and I do have a little surprise gift for my brother and his wife. And then we will have to find time to go visit my aunt (daddy's sister) to take her gifts to her and then our Sunday School after Christmas Christmas party in a few weeks.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as we did and now get ready for 2009!!