Our Simple Christmas

After we returned from a visit with my family in Missouri, we decorated our Ball and Burlap Christmas tree with all of our homemade decorations. (You can go here, here, here and here to see what we did).

It was a really nice evening of Rick and I decorating the tree together while listening to Christmas music on Pandora. I decorated while he strung popcorn.

The stockings were hung by the chimney entertainment center with care, underneath the boxwood swags and bayberry candles.

On Christmas Eve morning Dawson and I went out and did some last-minute shopping. He is my best shopping buddy and we had a special morning together. I can't even tell you how much it warmed my heart to see my baby 6-foot son joyfully purchasing Christmas gifts for everyone in our home. And he was generous!

When we got home we set to making some desserts and putting out our candles and luminaries.

Rick's sister and her family came over for our annual Feliz Navidad celebration. We started our evening by painting the Nativity set we received from Rick's dad and step-mom. Everyone pitched in and painted at least one piece. We ate enchiladas and tacos and quietly watched loudly quoted every line of Christmas Vacation. The kids opened their gifts and we called it an early night.

Rick and I spent the next two hours wrapping presents, like we do every Christmas Eve night. It was especially cool because when the kids went to bed there weren't any gifts under the tree at all. And when they rose at dawn crawled out of bed at 9:00 a.m. this morning, they were greeted with this!

Everybody got everything they wanted! They were all thrilled!

A pillow pet, new stuffed dog, large dog house, Hello Kitty stuff, Bendaroos, a movie, Legos, a Handy Manny set, Barbie movie books and candy.

A snowboard, xbox Live subscription, Hollister sweats, three shirts, Crusoe television series dvd, Legos and a personalized coffee mug.

Thomas train set, Handy Manny play set, Sorry Sliders, Connect 4, AFV dvd, Legos, three Halo Reach Lego sets and a pillow pet.

We made cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy, as is tradition. And currently the littles are in the living room floor in their pjs playing with their toys. Rick is organizing, which is his custom. And I am blogging, which is mine. Kyndal spent Christmas in Missouri with her dad, so we will celebrate with her when she gets home. Dawson bugged out about an hour ago and ran up the street to his best friends' to check out their loot. They'll be back here later to play xbox and put together Eli's many Lego sets. We'll have a turkey dinner later today and watch a couple of movies together. This year our choices are Toy Story 3, Barbie and The Mermaid Tale or America's Funniest Home Videos: Nincompoops and Boneheads.

It was the simplest and most wonderful of Christmases. Hoping you and yours are enjoying your day.

Love, The Taulmans