Snow, Smiles, and the Steelers.

Well, another Christmas has come and gone…  As I sit here drinking the last of the eggnog;  I am happy, relaxed, and a little disappointed at how quickly even the most magical of moments, become memories.  As much hype, anticipation, and sometimes stress, that go into the preparation…  I always wish that I could make it last just a little bit longer.

I was born and raised in Utah, so I have a lifetime of snowy wonderful Christmases under my belt.  But as we sat at the dinner table for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, all we could talk about was the beautiful snow falling outside the window.  Then it occurred to me… this is our first White Christmas as a family!!  As I thought about it;  Draven and I haven’t seen snow for the holidays since 2003, the year before we moved to California.  He can’t even remember it.  Liam and Emma were born in Sacramento, not much for snow there.  We have lived in Washington for 5 years now, and though we have seen snow here once or twice, it had never been on Christmas… until now.  So of course, after dinner, we bundled the kids up and went outside for a family snow ball fight.  The kids were laughing and squealing, and yes, within about an hour, freezing.  It continued to fall through out the night, instead of turning to our typical never-ending downpour of rain, and they woke up to an absolutely beautiful snow-covered landscape!

Then came the fun part….  the Presents!  As a parent, I really try not to spoil my kids too much.  And I try to convey to them that the importance of Christmas is family and spending time together.  But, it is also about giving.  There is no better feeling than watching your children open their presents.  The gasps, the screams, the “no ways”… I truly love it.  After the frenzy of paper and ribbon tearing, even my 17-year-old had a smile on his face!  Maybe the new headphones?  Or the live camera feed drone?  For Liam – the Nintendo Switch?  Emma’s 3 story apartment dollhouse?  Or all of it combined?  There was nothing but smiles all around, and it felt amazing!  I was even able to pull off a surprise gift or two for my husband – which is a bonus.  Follow that up with an Eggs Benedict breakfast and Mimosas, and I’d say you have a pretty great day!

But it got even better…  the kids disappeared to play with all their new toys and gadgets, my husband curled up on the couch for an afternoon nap, and I got to watch my Steelers play – almost uninterrupted… And they won!   Top all that off with a Hot Buttered Rum, and you end up with a special, magical, wonderful, Christmas.  I hope that whatever you did with your friends and/or family, it was the same.  Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Cheers! 🙂