Christmas 2014 - A One Arm Jesus Kind of Christmas

This was our familial cohort's "best Christmas ever!" In so very many ways we did right by this Christmas. We spent time waiting in anticipation with many discussions on they joys of said anticipation. With each passing week of Advent MAK taught us the beauty of prayer. Especially the prayers of a 5-year-old. She is an amazing little pray-er when she discovers a direction to head... amazing with a splash of unintentional humor.

The laser gun was a last minute addition by a young lad!

We added a new tradition of reading through the history of Jesus' family line. We made little ornaments to go along with the story for the day and added them to our "Jesse Tree" as a sort of Advent calendar. I will confess that though this was special for MAK, the boy child was "tortured" or just simply was not ready for that level of concentration for that length of time. He still may have a visceral reaction to the name Jesse. Hopefully by next year he will be ready for another go.

We did much resting, much being still, much being together... It. Was. Lovely! We may have reached the degree of "amazing" when MAK was (finally) starting to think that being home was better than being at school! She quickly came to her senses! :) We discovered just how simply awesome it is to watch movies on an air mattress in the living room, with kettle corn and LOTS of blankets. We even slept as a fam one night–well until midnight when we carried all participants to their "real" beds.

We still did Christmas morning, Santa and all.

Santa even had to learn how to make a "spidey music box." Seriously, child!

This year the kids each got the other a gift. I mean, seriously, be still my heart. The pride they had in seeing how much the other enjoyed their chosen present... BLESSED!

I just can't...

Because... Dads...

Unfortunately, there was a brief stint on "vomit island" for Christmas Eve. All's I can say is "more cookies for me!" No one really fought me to eat them with their queazy tummies. I probably should have been more bummed.

There was a missing element in the weather department. The kids were both disturbed at the lack of snow to be had at Christmas. Sy even referred once to "when it's the real Christmas... the one when it snows." :) MAK could not put together why it is that I went to weather class every Thursday but could not seem to make it snow on Christmas! When I explained that I have zero control over the act of snowing, she enlisted her fresh-mouth-of-sass with, "Well, Elsa could have made it snow!" Then there was an about face turn and stomp off! #at-ti-tude

Though, hey, if a lack of snow and a little bit of vomit are the only things we could find askew, then we did pretty well. Almost perfect. Almost. A One-Armed Baby Jesus Kind of Christmas for sure!