Christmas Recap

The most awaited day of the year has come and gone and I am feeling so thankful. Thankful because I have an amazing family with whom I get to cry and laugh. Thankful because I have friends who love and support me. Thankful because there are still roasted brussels sprouts leftover from dinner last night that I get to eat for lunch today.

So, with all that being said, here are some snapshots from this Christmas.

Perfect sunrirse on Christmas Eve. Sunrises are one of the reasons I love getting up early.

We spent the rest of the morning on Christmas Eve decorating sugar cookies. Aren't they so Christmasy?

After two Christmas Eve services at church, we came home and had hot cocoa and watched A Christmas Story. Before we went to sleep, my dad read The Night Before Christmas. One is never too old to listen to your dad read a book.

Christmas morning, the kids went downstairs at 5:30AM per usual and opened our stockings. At 6AM, we woke our parents too the beautiful music of kazoos (we got them in our stocking). (:

We spent three hours opening gifts and it was literally the best thing ever. At this point in my life, opening my gifts isn't my favorite part of Christmas morning, it's watching others open their gifts. In our family, it's a time of bonding and this past Christmas we shared lots and lots of laughs, and yes, a couple of tears, but it was so great. I wouldn't trade these moments in my life for anything.

I think in terms of pancakes, I'll be set for quite a while.

Before toppings.

After toppings. These were gingerbread pancakes (made with Kodiak Pancake Mix) topped with maple almond butter, banana slices, and cinnamon. YUM.

We spent the rest of the day watching movies and relaxing. I went for a quick run (the temps were in the 50s!! WHAT???) and then helped make dinner.

Glazed ham (baked by my dad), roasted brussels sprouts, and sweet potato for me. We also had (unpictured) green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, and cranberry sauce.

We finished off the night watching White Christmas and drinking decaf coffee. Basically, perfection.

How did you all celebrate Christmas?