Christmas came and went and it took us a few days to recover from all the Christmas spirit and joys of such a big day. Also, I felt a bit exhausted and needed some extra rest and sleep. I woke up very early on Christmas morning, anticipating the kids' gleaming eyes when they saw what Santa had left under the tree. For the kids, they woke up their normal time and didn't venture downstairs till 7am. The look on Amelia's face is priceless:
Taking in all the gifts under the tree. There were quite a few gifts under the tree for each of us, which must have meant that we all were very good this year or got spoiled by family members (Danke, Opa Dieter, Oma Doris and Grandma) because our kids only receive 3 gifts (a spiritual one, a want/ toy and a need such as clothing) from us plus their stockings.
Opening our stockings:
Elliot seemed already very pleased with his stocking stuffers and at first wasn't too interested in opening some of the wrapped presents. Amelia, on the other hand, was very excited this year and ready to see what Santa had brought her. Since they don't write Christmas wish lists, they have really no clue/ expectation of what they will get. So it was great to see their surprised faces when they unwrapped a gift. We take turns unwrapping gifts, one gift at a time, and always start off with the youngest.
Then it was Amelia's turn:
Showing off some of her new gifts:
Next, it was Daddy's turn:
And lastly, it was Mommy's turn:
In between we took a break to eat some yummy breakfast (sausage balls) before continuing with the opening of gifts, assembling and playing. It was a peaceful and slow-moving morning and seeing my kids full of excitement and amazement made this day extra special.
Amelia's preschool had a Christmas store and she was able to purchase some small gifts for each of us. She did a wonderful job and bought very well-thought gifts: Daddy got a screwdriver, Elliot got a little helicopter and I received these beautiful wooden figurines. She also made a fingerprint canvas for us and it is by far one of my favorite gifts this year. By the way, Amelia loved her little pony necklace her brother had chosen too.
While the kids napped, I cooked our traditional German Christmas dinner: duck, potato dumplings, red cabbage, roasted Brussels sprouts and some mac & cheese.
Afterwards, we took a walk around the neighborhood and then played some more with our new toys. We finished Christmas day off by having dinner in the living room while watching the movie Elf.
This Christmas season has been truly magical. Celebrating the holidays with children make them way more festive and even brought back my own childhood memories. We didn't do anything over the top or out of reach, but just baking Christmas cookies or opening gifts on Christmas morning made my kids' eyes gleam and my heart burst with joy, love, and fulfillment. A child was born this Christmas Day to save the world and thru the eyes of my children, I was able to rediscover the magic of Christmas once again. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too.
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