Christmas

We are back in town and recovering from Christmas now. Daphne had a wonderful first Christmas and we enjoyed our time staying with my parents so much. Here are some pictures of Daphne with "Ho Ho", whom my mom hired to come over and terrify Daphne and her cousins.

We engaged in the customary traditions like the big tree, huge meals, eggnog, and opening presents, but I realized that some of my favorite Christmas traditions are ones that are specific to us. Here are a few of my personal favorite traditions:

-Every year I buy the new KGSR Live Broadcasts CD the week before Christmas, but I don't allow myself unwrap it until I am leaving for Belton. I listen to it all the way there and all the way back home after Christmas.

-Every year I go through the Christmas cards and letters at my parents' house and find the strangest and funniest ones. Last year there were several hilarious ones, but this year was pretty disappointing. Only one mildly funny one where the lady talked about her horses giving birth and then complained about how her grandchildren are too loud and take up too much of her time. Usually there is a treasure trove of weirdness, but I think less people sent cards this year because people were trying to save money.

-Every year we drive around Belton and look to see if there is anything new there since last year. The new thing might be a road, a gas station, a fast food place- but we marvel over it in amazement. To understand this tradition, you have to realize that Belton is a little town where they were so excited when the Super Wal Mart opened that they had a mini-parade with cheerleaders and firetrucks and the whole 9 yards.

-Every year we arrive a day or two before Christmas and from the minute we arrive, my mom brings us presents constantly and tells us to open them. By the time Christmas actually comes, we have already opened almost everything.

- Every year we eat too many sweets and go down a shame spiral, so we continuously take walks around my parents' neighborhood or the park. We do this no matter how bitterly cold it is.

- Every year Bryan and I plan to go to the 11 pm Christmas Eve service at my parents church, but every year we stuff ourselves with food and fall asleep long before the service starts. This year we went to 5 pm mass with Bryan's mom and Daphne acted like a demoniac so I ended up sitting outside on the steps with her through the entire service, hoping that no one would suggest an exorcism.

- Every year our family makes an average of 3 trips per day to the Wal Mart down the road from my parents' house. Maybe one year we will make a comprehensive shopping list and only make 1 trip, but I highly doubt it.

It was a great Christmas and I hope everyone enjoyed their celebrations as much as we enjoyed ours!