Bah-Humbug!

It is a true testament to what a Scrooge I was this Christmas when, now that it is over, my energy level and mood have improved dramatically. Honestly, if I was childless, I think I may have skipped the entire holiday. This makes me sad, since Christmas, with all it's magic, is normally my very favorite time of year. But sadly, with the combination of more things than I care to complain about right now, I just wasn't feeling it this time. So much, that I'm almost surprised I didn't receive any ghostly visitors attempting to give me redemption on Christmas Eve night. So my apologies to you all this year. I didn't do Christmas cards, I didn't do neighbor/friend gifts... in fact, the only people who received any kind of gift from me this year is my kids and Brandon (and even his loot was pretty pathetic). Now, let me backpedal a little. I wasn't COMPLETELY worthless in the Christmas spirit department. And I have pictures to prove it! After all, we did...

Put up and decorate our Christmas tree...



(Ok, fine. Technically I had nothing to do with this, since I was laying on the couch in nauseated exhaustion while Brandon and the kids did all the work.)

We saw Christmas lights in sub-zero temperatures...



Nathaniel donned a Santa hat...



(So this really doesn't have much to do with anything, I just thought it was a fun picture.)

Though not Christmas related, we did celebrate Nathaniel's 2nd birthday with a delicious chocolate cake, my HIS favorite!



McKenna looked adorably snazzy while performing in her Christmas dance recital...



We paid a visit to Santa Claus (and I really do have photographic evidence of the actual Santa, but my scanner is being uncooperative)...



And, of course, we watched movies (complete with a picnic dinner of snacks on the family room floor) on Christmas Eve. We set out brownies, milk, and apples for Santa and his reindeer. We tracked Santa (who was making his way through Ecuador when the kids were about to climb into bed). And we read stories to calm our minds a little before falling asleep. Once the kids were in bed, the work began. Brandon and I wrapped gifts, finishing at 12:30 am (a full TWO hours ahead of schedule for us), only to have Brandon get called into work at 1:00 am. He worked until 6:30 am, came home, and slept for all of 40 minutes before the kids were up and ready for gift opening! Poor Daddy hauled his poorly rested body out of bed for the sake of Christmas morning magic!

Here's the kids impatiently posing for pictures before being allowed to dive into the pile of presents (decked out in Christmas jammies provided by Grandma and Grandpa Squire, of course).



Stockings first!



When all the fun is done, there's always the mess to look forward to...



My house is still an absolute wreck, and I'm trying my best to channel the energy needed to clean it up. Meanwhile, I think I'll ignore knocks at the door and waste time playing on the computer. Sounds good.

Despite all my whining during the season, and prayers of thanks for having it over and done with, I do love Christmas and everything it entails. I promise to make more of an effort next season. Because next season... I won't be pregnant, I won't be working until the wee hours of each morning, and the shock of having to pay for Christmas without credit cards will have worn off and I will be better prepared for this challenge. Ah, just listen to my naive optimism... it's so sweet. I'm sure next season will have it's own challenges, but we'll just hope I'm not as hormonal and can take them on without a fuss!

I hope you all enjoyed a happy and fulfilling Christmas! All I have to say for now is... Bring on New Years!! I am more than ready for a fresh start!