Christmas

I nostalgically remembered my childhood Christmases as I was bustling about making sure we had all the gifts and the stocking stuff organized (and we were still making purchases Christmas Eve day) and wrapped.  Plus working on unpacking from our move and house chores.

Christmas was so magical when I was a child.  We went up to Seattle and Stanwood every year which was a treat in and of itself.  We would spend time at both my Dad's parents (Grandpa and Grandma) and at my Mom's parents (Gramps and Gram).  I remembered the excitement of traveling, seeing family that we didn't often see, good food and treats that we normally didn't get, lots of presents since we had two different Christmases.  There was no "responsibility", no chores, no school...just a time to play, read books, watch tv, visit, enjoy Christmas lights and celebrations.  I think best of all, there was the childhood innocence...safe, secure, being taken care of, relaxing, no worries, and people and places that you didn't realize would not always be there.  

My oh my...how those Christmases of long ago have changed.  Only one grandparent remains.  The house on Camano Island and on Capitol Hill have long been sold.  Christmases are busy with cooking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping...I often find myself overwhelmed and stressed the week leading up to Christmas as there is so much to do and we are juggling the finances.  I find myself more appreciative of what went into making those childhood Christmases so wonderful.

I know that it all sounds like a bit of a downer.  Truthfully, I like being an adult better than I liked being a kid except for Christmas time.  I would love to go back to being a kid at Christmas.  

Christmas Eve was just my parents and our family.  We had a delicious salmon chowder.

Making pancakes and bacon for Christmas breakfast.



Waiting patiently?

Waiting to dig into the stockings.











B couldn't wait to start working on his legos so he was busy during much of the gift opening.




Mary, Tina's mom, got the "make someone cry" award with this beautiful quilt she made for my mom.



Looking for lost lego pieces.



Christmas Eve

Christmas dinner was so delicious that I ate too much and felt overly stuffed!

Merry Christmas!

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