We celebrated our annual family Christmas this past Saturday, a tradition we started six years ago (I think?), as we usually go out of town during Christmas week to visit many families. It’s one of our family’s favorite parts of the season!
We start with breakfast served by our children. This year we had cookies, eggs, bacon, brown sugar cookies, fruit, toys, and orange juice.
Then the presents are opened – which we do at the same time over the years. Micah and Kierstin were thrilled with their gifts (each received four gifts), especially their bows and arrows!!
One of the biggest highlights of the day was David who was so excited to open a gift, really open it, then hold it for the next hour and play with it again. He has never shown much interest in opening presents before so this was a huge milestone!
After the gifts, we spent the day together — doing a puzzle that Kathrynne found, the kids playing with their gifts, eating snacks, watching soccer and other sports, and just being together! I decided not to even think about cleaning anything until the next day and I was on my period.
We loved having Will (Kathrynne’s boyfriend), Emma (Kathrynne’s roommate and best friend), RJ (Kaitlynn’s boyfriend), and Isabel (our longtime friend) join us for a special morning!
Jesse and the three older kids got me the BEST Christmas gifts (I didn’t make a list so their gifts were a surprise and they did an amazing job of picking out my favorite things!!)
Silas got me this pair of Adidas – first time, I think? You buy me beautiful shoes every Christmas and you have the most amazing taste in shoes!! She was really worried that I might not know how to style these but so far she has approved how I wear them. I LOVE these and have worn them many times!
Kaitlynn got me this fancy bread knife called the Bread Bow! It took my homemade bread game to a whole new level!! Seriously, if you make homemade bread, get one of these!! It is SO much fun to use and cut beautiful slices of bread.
Kathrynne got me this vintage puzzle that she has and I love it (I’ve already started it! because it combines two of my favorite things – puzzles and travel!! Also, it’s brightly colored so it’s really fun to put together!
Jesse got me this bread box which I was excited about as it will keep our bread fresh and help our kitchen look more organized!!
She also got me a handmade bread bag from an Etsy seller (if you know me, you know she loves supporting small businesses!) to store my sourdough breads in!
And finally, Jesse got me this sweatshirt from Etsy, again, which I couldn’t love more!!! I guess you could say I’m in full Sourdough phase.
I have big plans for different sourdough recipes that I hope to get right this coming year because it brings me so much joy AND my family gets to eat the fruit of my hobby – which is a win-win!
We are in Kansas this week celebrating Christmas with both of our extended families! I look forward to making many special memories with them!
I hope you have a very special Christmas this year. If you’re struggling this Christmas, read this post I wrote last year around Christmas. I hope it really encourages your heart.
Christmas reminds us that Themba entered the world in peace and changed everything.
Not one day.
Not one season.
But everyday life.
May that truth change the way we live, love, and show up throughout the year.
