This year, Christmas was on Sunday, which made for a different turn of events. We had church at 9 am, so there was really just no possible way we’d be able to get up early enough (we were already lacking on sleep) to see what Santa brought us and actually enjoy it and then get ready for church all before 9. So “Santa” conveniently brought us our presents in Christmas bags so that we wouldn’t see what was inside until after church. We went to church that morning and my mom, dad, Cee Ryle, and Carina sang in the choir while Sidney, Gracie, and I listened and watched the program (and also doodled, because it’s so hard for me to pay attention without doodling), which was really nice, because they’d have a mini speaking part in between each of the choir’s songs.
Church was only sacrament meeting so after that we went home, put our pajamas back on and got to see what Santa brought us.
And what did yours truly get? A serger (and a Tiana barbie and makeup)!!! This is probably the best present ever after my sewing machine I got last year. Now I can finish all my edges neatly and do a lot of my extra sewing at home for my class. I’ve really been wanting and needing a serger for a while so it was an exciting thing to get one.
I love Gracie! She was definitely the most excited for her present—every time she saw something she loved, she’d give a high pitched scream. She got a pink nutcracker and a bunch of Littlest Pet Shop stuff. Cee Ryle got a nook, Sidney got a new flute, Carina got a movie popcorn making machine, and my parents got tablets. Everyone loved their Santa gifts.
After that we went downstairs and opened family presents: from each other, from our parents, and from our grandparents in Wyoming. It’s become a tradition for the longest time for my mom to replace our names on the gifts with made up names. When we were little it was mainly so that we wouldn’t peek at our gifts but now she does it because we like it and to maintain the tradition. The names this year were Dumbledore’s Army names in Harry Potter, like Luna Lovegood, Ernie MacMillan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, etc. I was Hannah Abbott (my mom just picked the names by random). Some fun presents I got during that were two new barbies, a fashionista one and a collector’s one called the
Rose Splendor barbie, some cute brown boots, lots of clothes, a super cute pink and purple sewing box, and a few other random stuff. I loved all my gifts, they were wonderful!
At around 3ish we went to Zildy and Jonas’s house to enjoy some Shrimp Etouffee, which is what they make every year. Jonas is from Louisiana and he makes the best cajun food! I love his gumbo too.
Every year we grandkids throw on a Christmas program for everyone. Usually we try to plan it out a little more but this time we just kind of threw it together the day of. It still turned out great though, we had some talents from everyone and we showed the premiere of
our video (which everyone loved btw).
Then after that we had our usual white elephant exchanges. We did one for just the grandkids that was a candy exchange (last year we did gifts but then some kids were crying because they didn’t get what they wanted, so we figured candy was a hard one not to please) using
this story. Then the older kids and adults got to participate in the actual white elephant exchange. I ended up with a huge red filing thing haha.
By the end of the night we were all tired and then we drove home, our hearts happily filled from a wonderful, merry Christmas. J
