The Five Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, we went to the Warm Beach Lights of Christmas with our friends the Schmalz family. I have wanted to go for some time and it is a distance from our house. But it is just ten minutes from the new Schmalz home, so it was a perfect time to head up north and visit. It was cold and rainy but we stayed cozy warm in our jackets and hats, and enjoyed the beautiful lights.

We spent the night at the Schmalz house and left around lunch time. So on the second day of Christmas, we drove directly to Grandpa and Grandma Cole’s house to enjoy some more Christmas fun. When we arrived, Grandpa Cole had an activity planned. He and JT have been working on building and understanding circuits. JT proved that he remembered lesson #1 by drawing a complete circuit on his own. Then Grandpa gave him supplies and he built his own circuit to light a bulb. It was pretty awesome!

Haley learns how to use a volt meter

Finished circuit

It works!

Then we started on the Christmas cookies. Grandma had sugar and gingerbread dough all ready to go. My little bakers stuck it out and made about a hundred cookies. We didn’t frost them all because Grandma said they were easier to stack up plain, but we frosted and ate more than I’d like to admit!

Then after dinner we went for a one-mile walk around their neighborhood (walking off our cookies) and looked at Christmas lights.

On the third day of Christmas, we woke up at Grandpa and Grandma’s house to a yummy breakfast and presents! Jim had requested Grandma’s cinnamon rolls and they were awesome. The kids were thrilled to open gifts.

Haley got a dress-up closet made by Grandpa. She understood its purpose and said at breakfast, “I can’t wait to hang my clothes in my dress-up closet, Grandpa.” Sweet. It is being put to excellent use in her room now, full of sparkly dresses, tutus, princess shoes, purses, and jewelry on hooks. She also has a shelf on top for her new dolls, like the Pippi Longstocking doll from Aunt Gena.

JT’s big gift was a guitar so he can play with Jim. He is also looking forward to playing with his cousin Preston. He got a learn-to-play DVD from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Gena that he has already started watching. I love listening to him “play” with Jim when we sing worship songs together before bedtime. The other night Jim was at work, and JT offered to play for us anyway. Haley requested “Away in a Manger” and so JT strummed along while we sang. It was completely precious. Meanwhile, Haley now really, really wants a pink guitar.

Later that day, Jim and I had a date to see Catching Fire. Then we all went together to visit Great Grandma Christensen and bring her some Christmas treats. We saw Uncle Jim and Aunt Sara there too, while they were visiting from Idaho, which was perfect timing. 

We woke up at home Christmas Eve, the fourth day of Christmas. We completed our 24th advent ornament for the tree. Here’s the finished tree, stocked with feathers, glitter, fabrics, and all sorts of crafty things. I was tempted to read the Christmas story to my children, until I remembered that we’ve been reading it every day for a month and they practically have it memorized. We are pretty focused on the meaning of Christmas, and although our children were downright spoiled with gifts, I hope they best remember the memories of family and Jesus.

Then the kids and I read Christmas books for almost an hour. I hadn’t had a chance to read them some of my favorites: Christmas in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck, The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman, Santa, Are You For Real? by Harold Myra, How God Decorates Heaven for Christmas by Ron Mehl, and A Visit from Saint Nicolas by Clement C. Moore.

Jim and JT went to do a little errand and, when they got back, I noticed a little something under the tree. JT took his very own allowance money to the store and bought me a present!

Christmas Eve we went to a local church service before dinner. I just love Christmas Eve service. The service was nice and we lit candles, which I love.

We came home and had roast, risotto, orange green beans, french bread, and apple pie before tucking the children into bed for the night. Then Jim and I stayed up getting ready for morning, and watching “A Christmas Story.”

On the fifth day of Christmas, the fun started around 8 AM. After much deliberation, Jim and I had left the biggest gifts out under the tree for the kids to find in the morning: a PowerWheels F150 truck for JT and a Land of Nod wood dollhouse for Haley. I think the adults were more excited than the children, especially after you see what happened when they came downstairs in the morning.

The night before

Staring at the big surprise gifts

Did you catch that? That’s right: they stared. And then they shuffled over to their stockings and wanted their new books. JT commented that “We open our stocking first. Then we eat breakfast, then we open presents.” Clearly we have instilled a firm sense of routine, because they just couldn’t break it. So we sighed, put on our adult pants, and let them open their stockings and look at books, ignoring the large beautiful gifts in the middle of the room.

Then we opened gifts, and they did finally sit in the truck. After JT warmed up to the idea, he made sure to be touching it at all times.  They did start to touch the dollhouse as well, that Haley proclaimed “not very pretty” when asked what she thought of it. She didn’t say it rudely; she was just being honest (and we did ask her opinion after all) but we did explain the value of wood products versus plastic… to which JT pointed out we could certainly paint the dollhouse pink. Sigh.

We had time while breakfast was baking to paint Haley’s toes a new color from her stocking. 🙂

Breakfast!

After some clean up, we took the kids outside. Finally – some smiles!

Ignore me loudly asking the kids to wave in this video and just enjoy their little happy faces. 🙂

Haley got to drive too!

After all of that, Haley was so hungry that she asked for tea, vegetables, and hummus. Really, it’s tough to argue with that.

And finally, enjoying the dollhouse.

After lunch we headed down to Grandpa and Grandma Keene’s house for more gifts and dinner. Travis did not want to sit on the rocking horse for this picture!

The kids got gifts from Oregon, Alabama, and grandparents and aunts and uncles during this opening. I would say the highlights (although there are many) for Haley were princess dolls and dresses, and for JT new Legos and Lincoln Logs. Dinner was fabulous, and Grandpa and Grandma Cole came over to eat with us. By the time all that was done, we were ready for a nap. 🙂

It might seem like a lot, but maybe we were making up a little for last year, when Jim and JT were out for a week with rotavirus and pneumonia. Remember that?