Christmas is

New warm jammies on Christmas Eve.

Leaving milk and cookies for Santa, has to be chocolate chip, his all time favorite.

All the kids sleeping together in a nest of blankets in the big room in the basement.
Doodle waking up at 2 am ready to open presents.

Mom saying half asleep, "Go back to bed!"

Mom and dad not sleeping a wink.

Doodle waking up again at 4 am, then again at 5 am.

Eating goodies out of the stockings at 5 am.

Finding the plate of half eaten Santa cookies.

Watching the kids dig through over stuffed stockings, wondering how on earth Santa got all those treasures in there.

Baby steeling goodies from everyone else's stockings at 5:15 am.

Kids finding the massive train set and falling over out of sheer joy.

Dad getting the first turn with the train.

Hearing that blasted train set ALL DAY LONG.

Baby's first Christmas gift.


The joy of a 3 year old finding a gift just for him.

Brand new remote controlled airplanes!

Footie jammies.

The smell of home made cinnamon rolls baking.

Beano showing Dubs the gift he made all by himself, just for Dubs.
Home make sock puppets and fuzzy felty frog puppets and noodle necklaces made by the kids, for each other.
My kids discovering the joy of giving.


Daddy half asleep at 6 am after all the gifts are open.

All the kids playing quietly and contentedly as mom and dad nap.

Trying to decide which new crisp book to read first.

Sitting down with one of those brand new Christmas books with all the kids on the couch with a big warm blanket.

Reading 50 pages cuz we just can't put it down, it's that good.

Watching Charlie Brown Christmas.

Visiting with family for Christmas brunch.

Talking to my missionary nephew at his mom and dad's house.

Staying at Christmas brunch until dinner time.

Listening to my nieces and nephews play piano and violin.

Holding my 5 week old nephew and remembering how tiny Baby Cakes was just last Christmas.

Singing Grandma got run over by a reindeer.

Cry remembering how grandma loved that song.

Wishing she could still be here.

Night time coming all too soon.

Not wanting to go to bed because that will mean Christmas will be over.

Waiting for next year to come!