So that came and went quickly.
I am currently in a state of mixed emotions. On one hand, I am so happy to be home in the quiet, decluttering countertops, watching my kiddos play, and eating a cookie after every meal including breakfast. On the other hand, I miss my family! I miss the buzz! And why do radio stations have to stop the music cold turkey at 12:01 on December 26? It’s all so sudden.
The best part of Christmas this year was the presence of family. My brother and sister-in-law were in town from Washington D.C. and my kids loved having “exciting” people to play Go Fish with. Chad and Charanya were such good sports. I loved watching my parents’ happiness multiply exponentially as they enjoyed all of us together.
We also shared the holiday with Jason’s sister and kids, in addition to my in-laws. Each year, the cousins and adults on this side do a Secret Santa. We pull names on Thanksgiving and then shop for just one special person. It makes things efficient and fun! On Christmas Eve, the cousins and adults come together, reveal identities, and exchange gifts.
Christmas morning is always reserved for the four of us at our house. As always, it was sweet! Harper was up first. She crawled into bed between Jason and me at 5:01 a.m. whispering, “Merry Christmas.” She had to wait 17 excruciatingly long minutes for her brother to awaken before we headed down the stairs to see if Santa had come.
We must have been good this year! Santa brought two new sleds (now, cue the snow please!), robots, and board games. After all the stockings and presents were opened and the first cup of coffee was enjoyed, it was only …
By 10 a.m., we were ready to show off our new goods and have brunch with the family.
Chad and Charanya gave me a most thoughtful gift this year. They had heard that my students are often in need of snacks. It is true that many teachers continually supply food for kiddos who do not come to school with enough to eat or, sometimes, anything to eat. So in lieu of a traditional gift or just another “thing,” they went shopping to stock up my classroom!
I thought it was one of the best gifts of Christmas. Yesterday, to break up the gloom of December 26, Harper went along with me to my classroom to unpack. My snack shelf was looking pretty dismal. The only food item it had was leftover Halloween candy. Did I mention that Aunt Charanya is a registered dietician? We needed her help!
I put Harper to work unloading all kinds of yummy bars.
And just like that, the snack shelf is looking GREAT!
My students will be thrilled and grateful.
So now as I write, it’s the morning of December 27. Chad and Charanya are in Chicago to celebrate the New Year before they head back to D.C. Grandma and Grandpa are packing up and getting ready to head to Florida for the winter and spring. The cousins are visiting with their dad, and Nana and Papa are cleaning up after the holidays and getting ready to sell their house. Life ticks on. Around here, all is calm and a little gray. If it was up to Jameson, we would be celebrating Kwanza. He keeps reminding me that now’s the time.
I heard recently, twice actually, people say how much they love January. They love the quiet that it brings and the weather that gives good reason for a lot of inside family time. I normally complain about January (Ugh, it’s so lonely! It’s so cold! It’s SO LONG until spring break!). Maybe I’ll be inspired to think differently this year. So on that note, I am off to play Beyblades with Jameson before I jump into a rousing game of Guess Who with Harper. Wishing all of you happy, calm, and peaceful post-Christmas days until we gear up to celebrate and eat yummy fun food for New Year’s.
