Christmas 2012

Christmas felt so exhausting, it's taken me a while to feel up to writing about it.  I guess the hard core preparations for Christmas started back in October when we started working on our float for the Arlington Santa Parade.  (Actually, Dode says it started even before that when he built a big metal star with LED lights on it for a tree at the church).  As soon as the parade was over, it was time for the Nativity Festival.  I spent a couple of days helping with setting up and some more taking down as well as forcing my family to help with the living nativity during the festival.

We imported my step-nephew Noah as a third shepherd at the last minute.

Looking like a dorky Mary

The nativity festival looked amazing.

(Nice job Sheri!  Sheri is in charge of all the decorations and placement of the nativities.)

This year, I told Dode that I think we have too many traditions.  He replied, "Like what, making cinnamon rolls?"  I said,"No, all the 'special' gifts".  Each year, each of the children gets a new pair of pajamas.  I try to match their interests/favorite colors to their PJ's.  Everyone gets a book.  I have to do some sleuthing to see what book to buy everyone.  Everyone gets a brain teaser in their stocking.  It's hard to find new puzzles when you buy as many a year as I do.  Everyone gets a new ornament.  The yearly ornament party where I have to come up with an ornament for myself as well as ones for the girls.  The tradition where everyone gets their favorite treat in their stocking.

The stockings... it's easy to find little things to put in the girls' stockings (lip balm, nail files, etc.) but the boys are so much harder to find things for.  Both Isaac and Elizabeth think the stocking presents are the best gifts they receive.

Elizabeth with her stocking presents

Elizabeth told me later in the day that she'd received everything she ever wanted and didn't know what would happen next year at Christmas.  I assured her that she'd have new wants by then!

We even added a new tradition this year, making Christmas cookies and delivering them while caroling. I made the doughs (sugar and gingerbread) and frostings a few days ahead of baking them and I'm so glad. Keeping up to four children who were trying to roll out sticky dough and then arrange cookies on cookie sheets kept me pretty busy. We spent a few hours baking and decorating cookies before we divided them out and arranged them on five different plates.

Armed with our cookies, we set off to carol at several friends' homes. Anastaya had it in her head that true caroling would be to go to the front door and start singing without ringing the doorbell. If they opened the door without the doorbell, she knew she'd succeeded.   It took some loud singing with our voices echoing off neighboring houses but we managed it at several houses. I was surprised at how much Miriam enjoyed our caroling. She didn't want to stop!

With six children, I can't just pick up gifts as I go, I have to plan ahead. I actually have a spreadsheet where I chart what I bought and how much I spent on each child. The goal is to spend $100 on each child. The stocking gifts, pj's and books are additional. If I'm not careful, I can spend much more than that. The spreadsheet keeps me on track. Most things come online from amazon. For the gifts, I have a special address title that amazon ships to, so the children know to leave those boxes alone.  The gifts come addressed to: "Gifts-Do Not Open".

Miriam's Christmas list this year was priceless.  She was sitting next to me on the couch and kept asking me how to spell things.  I had to chuckle when she asked me for the fourth noisy thing!

Translation:

1-Nutcracker, 2-Whistle, 3-Flute, 4-Music Box, 5-Set of Drums, 6-Whole set of ballerina clothing,

7-longer time on the computer, 8-her sickness to go away (she'd had a cough for about three months at this point), 9-to have a real reindeer, 10-jewelry box, 11- necklace with notes and hearts on it.

Somehow I manage to get everything ready with everything wrapped by the afternoon on Christmas Eve and Christmas was once again a success.

Jacob always seems to have a hard time at Christmas, this year was no exception.  He spent the present opening time like this, then retreated to his room.

Miriam sporting her new ballerina outfit while riding her new green machine.

(It was 35° out and the cold humid air was biting Dode through his coat when he took this picture.  That didn't stop our little ballerina from staying out there to play on her new toy.)

After buying the 1st green machine, I forced myself to go back and buy another to cut down on fighting.

Anastaya received a mirror and a hair curler.

Isaac gave Anastaya the mirror and she told him she loved it.  Then her dad said, "That's because it's your favorite picture!"

Anastaya read the warning label on the hair curler, "Caution, product may burn eyes."  Isaac told her, "That's because when you use it, you're so sexy you burn people's eyes!"

Warm cinnamon rolls.  

We invite all the Dicksons in the area over for Christmas brunch each year.  Cinnamon rolls are always the star of the show.

Ballerina outfit + superhero cape + flute=too  much cuteness for one girl.  When Greg heard that Miriam had a flute on her Christmas list, he had to buy her one.  She doesn't make very pretty music with it but she sure is loud!

My mom made pistachio pudding for my brother for Christmas dinner.

We had sub sandwiches with homemade rolls for dinner.  When I saw Isaac going to get ham in the other fridge, I realized that everything had been put out for the sandwiches but the three pounds of meat my mom had brought.  Oops!  Veggie sandwiches for everyone, right?

My mom made chocolate peppermint cake for dessert.

Obligatory family photo.

We celebrated with the Dicksons on the Thursday after Christmas because that was when Brent was able to come over from Spokane and join us.  Aunt Doris and Uncle Graham were also visiting from North Dakota so we had a good sized party.

Our group

Grandma and Grandpa Dickson turned our big green chair into a love seat.

We always perform the Nativity during the party.

Two cute sheep, Savannah and Miriam

Three Wise Guys, I mean Wise Men

William, Isaac, Isaac Colson

Allison was our Samuel the Lamanite

Darcy is our angel

William looking so sweet and innocent

Jenna was Mary and Jared was Joseph

After the Nativity, Sheri revealed a fun thing she'd brought, a snowman pinata.  The children took turns from youngest to oldest, each getting three whacks a turn.  Almost everyone got three times up to bat before the snow man head ripped off.  Isaac was in charge of swinging and moving the pinata, that's his foot hanging down the firepole hole.

Janice got in on the fun.

Candy for all.  Sheri said it was leftover candy from the Tulalip Parade in August!

One thing I noticed this year is how much flour we go through the week of Christmas.  How much you may ask?  A whopping 79 cups!  The breakdown: Tuesday Christmas morning cinnamon rolls: 12 cups, Christmas dinner hoagie rolls:13 1/2 cups, Thursday family party rolls: 13 1/2 cups, Friday family party rolls: 9 cups, Saturday night pizza: 12 cups, Sunday hamburger buns:  9 cups, Monday cookies: 10 cups.  And of all that flour, I threw away only one lonely overlooked roll!

I enjoy Christmas, but I'm sure glad it only comes once a year!  It's exhausting!  My mom was a great example of coming up with just the right gifts you never even knew you wanted as I was growing up and even today.  I'm trying to follow in her footsteps but they're pretty giant footsteps!  It doesn't help that we have three birthdays within the week before and week after Christmas.  It also doesn't help that Dode did not inherit the gift giving "gift" so I have to buy 100% of the gifts and am stuck wrapping 90% of them.  At least most of the children don't have Jacob's bad attitude about Christmas and felt like Christmas was a magical day of love and unexpected wonderful surprises.  Christmas is a lot of work but it truly is a labor of love.