Christmas 2009

This was our first at-home Christmas (i.e., we didn’t go to visit anyone), so I thought I’d share a few highlights for those of you that we missed seeing this year.  We carried on some of our families’ traditions, and did a few things our own way.  I loved it.  I wish we could have it both ways every year! 

On Christmas Eve, we went to Mass as a family.  I love going to the Vigil Mass, although I have to admit that Henry was not on his best behavior and I think it would have been slightly more pleasant if it weren’t so crowded.  Still… it was lovely.  Afterward we came home, opened a present for each of us (matching Christmas pajamas that Mrs. Claus made), and sent Henry off to bed.  Santa and his helper then ate some Christmas pizza while getting the presents under the tree and filling the stockings.  I love being a parent on Christmas! 

Christmas morning, I got up early to put a coffee cake in the oven so it would be ready when the boys got up.  I also made some pigs in a blanket (which I have recently found out can symbolize Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes… but that is not why I made them!).  All of which we ate along with as many cookies as we could handle while opening presents and waiting for our actual breakfast (breakfast casserole, per Fleming family tradition) to cook. 

Since the overwhelming majority of presents under the tree were for Henry, our plan was to just let him dig in and have fun.  We didn’t, however, count on him being content to just look at the pretty boxes and leave it at that.  So we had to help quite a bit.  And leave several for later in the day (and into the following day).  He did eventually get the hang of it by the day after Christmas, as he would periodically go over to the tree and unwrap something whenever he felt like it.  Our living room is now quite full of toys (especially Little People and their accessories).  And we have the whole next week with Matt off of work to stay here and enjoy it all. 

Thank you to all of you who helped to make our Christmas special, even though you couldn’t be here with us.  We love you all!