The Twelve Days of Christmas

I love the preparation of Christmas and all the events that lead up to Christmas Eve and the actual day.  Even though we usually don't take any vacation days during the holidays, work is way more relaxed during those two weeks, which makes it worth it to save the time off for other times of the year.

'Twas The Weekend Before Christmas...
The first event of Christmas week this year was seeing Wicked on Friday the 17th with Lana.  I have always been waiting to see it on Broadway, but since I have no New York plans in the works for probably a long, long time I decided to see it while the show was in town.  I'm glad I didn't wait any longer!  Loved it.

The next day we went to Effingham for Christmas with Mom's side of the family.  Between that night and Sunday afternoon we saw everyone except for one of my mom's brothers and his family.  It was great to be together!

Tiny hats for Snowmen cupcakes - tiny hat for Lori. 

Grandpa wrangles the terrier so the wee ones can open presents without a dog in their faces.

MaMa got a Dyson from all of us.  Several family members were involved in the unwrapping/set-up of the gift...

Using the Dyson box as a pretend drum.

Landon trying it out...

Michael gives it a spin...

The Evolution of the Cousin Picture:

2010



1983

Jaime, Megan, Lindsey, and Michael

Cousin Picture - the 2nd generation:

Landon, Grant, and the brand new Harper Isabella

 

Christmas Eve...

Brent and I stayed put on Christmas Eve because we wanted to go to the midnight service at our own church, plus traveling early in the morning on Christmas Day is less hectic than heading north the day before with everyone else in Indy.  I made a Wake-Up Casserole and yummy Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls the night before and we had a great breakfast on Christmas Eve.

We opened presents from each other after breakfast.  I got an iPad and Brent opened up several of his race medals that I had engraved with his times, plus other random things like a cordorouy blazer and Dockers, an ID tag for his running shoes, and a Netflix subscription.

Christmas Day...

We had Christmas lunch at the Stevensons and then went to Kendallville for supper.  Neighbors Cathy and Mike joined us for dinner and Pounce.  It was a very excellent Christmas Day!  No pictures were taken, sadly. 

Week Between Christmas and NYE...

We worked all week, but we had dinner plans three of the five nights this week...so that was fun!  We're trying to eat at all our Indianapolis favorites this month before Brent leaves for Denver, so our Tuesday night dinner with the Sinders was at Scotty's.  I'm really, really going to miss Scotty's, among many other things.

We took Larry and Diane out to dinner at Oceanaire on Thursday night as part of their Christmas gift.  We gave them a "date night" of sorts - dinner followed by one of the last showings of Wicked. 

NYE...

New Year's Eve 2011 (or is it 2010?) was a great one!  We ate at Michael's with the Sinders, then Lindsay and Craig joined us for games and to watch the ball drop.  Brent and I didn't go to bed until 3:30 this morning.  I could not even tell you the last time that happened!  I can already tell that 2011 is going to rock! 

Please notice where our obnoxious dog is laying.  Seriously, she is just too much.  I don't know any other way to describe it.

NYD...

We didn't exactly roll out of bed at the crack of dawn today, as you can imagine.  Mom and Dad came down this afternoon and we went to Bub's Burgers to have a Big Ugly Burger.  Brent was considering doing two, but ended up just eating one since he didn't run this morning.  I had only had the quarter pounder because my pants are a little tight and I may as well start the New Year's Detox now.  

Ugly Never Looked So Good.

We came back to watch the Rose Bowl (thus ending the Big Ten Bowl Pounding of the 2010 season) and hang out.  Here's Bonnie in her "Mom and Grandma Sandwich of Love".  Mom made that up, not me. 

The True Meaning of Christmas...

The holiday season is meant to be a time to reflect and relax, be thankful for the blessings of the passing year, and look ahead to what will come in the next.  The message at our Christmas Eve service so simply put the hope of Christmas into words for me.

Jesus came to us to be a light in the darkness.  The light does not make the darkness disappear, but the darkness cannot extinguish the light by itself.  Go into the world and shine your light.