Christmas 2024

 Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Christmas is over. It came and went in a flash. We stayed pretty busy this December, but it wasn't as busy as past years. 

The weekend of December 14th, Ryan and Emily came to town to visit. They came on Saturday morning. We hung out, ate some lunch, had some beers, and then hung out with the kids as well. They also took the kids shopping for this Christmas gifts, which was a really nice way for them to bond for the afternoon. We also took Ryan and Emily to Falls Park, and they really seemed to enjoy that. 

The weekend right before Christmas, mom and dad came to town as the kids had their Christmas Program on that Sunday. Dad installed a new light switch for us, and also put in a new outlet in the basement that wasn't working anymore. We also went out for supper at The Sand Bar, and took them to Falls Park as well. We had a nice little weekend. 

The kids did really at their Children's Christmas Program. Both kids played piano pieces before the program, and they did great. I was a proud momma. They also both did very well with their program parts and songs. They were a joy to watch, and I think they enjoyed themselves. Emma only has one Christmas program left! I cannot believe that. 

After the program, mom and dad headed home and we went out to supper with Jim and Barb. We ate at Fizolis and caught up with them. When we got home, we had our Christmas with the kids. We all had a really good evening opening gifts and spending time together. Elliott got: Legos, a new Ipad (his favorite gift), baseball cards, an Ipad case, and some other odds and ends, the Ipad was a big gift, so he didn't get as many items as Emma. Emma made a good haul. She got a Buddha Board (which is a painting board that uses water and dries and can be used again and again), she got a Ring light for her Youtube videos, basketball shorts, a Lynx Basketball sweatshirt, t-shirt, and a Napheesa Collier tshirt, sweatpants, airpods, arts supplies, and some Warrior Cat books. Everyone made a good haul. I got some Dove dark chocolate, a new duffle bag for the gym, and sunglasses. And John got some Duke Cannon soap, a Duluth Trading company fleece, and a monogrammed shower kit. It was a great Christmas. 

On Monday, we had a catch up day in the morning. We cleaned, did laundry, put new toys away, ran some errands, and then headed to Minnesota after lunch. We got to mom and dad's around 4:00pm. We got settled in, ate some Spaghetti for supper, and then enjoyed some games before bed. We played Sheepshead and Buck, and then played a little Rummicube. 

On Monday evening, I started getting a cold and not feeling the greatest, which was a bummer. I didn't sleep great, and then it was Christmas Eve. We had a pretty slow morning. The kids went out and played in the snow, and John and I went for a nice mile long walk in the winter cold, just to move around and not go stir crazy. After lunch, Emily and Ryan showed up with some snacks, and we started putting together the appetizers for the rest of the day. 

At 4:00pm, we went to Emanuel for the Children's Program (which was good, not great) and then we went back to the house for snacks and visiting. The kids opened gifts, and then we enjoyed some games of Bingo for something different this year. After Bingo, we just enjoyed visiting and hanging out. 

On Christmas Day we went to church at 10:15, and then came back for Christmas Dinner of meatballs, potatoes, corn, rice pudding, squash, and Christmas cookies. It was good. After dinner, we were ready to go home. I still was feeling pretty crappy and run down, the kids were stir crazy, and we were just ready to be home. So, we got home on Christmas Day night at around 5pm, unpacked, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. 

It was a good Christmas. I wish I would have felt better, but overall it was good and it was nice to be with family. The Nelson Christmas will be next weekend, so we still have a little more Christmas ahead of us.