As our kids took turns being sick with Covid around Christmas and our calendar was busy with kid activities, we did not get to enjoy all of our typical Christmas traditions. But we were still able to fit in some festive fun leading up to the Christmas holiday.
Although I never got around to Christmas cards or Christmas baking this year, we still got up all our Christmas decorations. Since our Mickey Mouse inflatable (Pepe) bit the dust last year, we got a new Harry Potter inflatable to fill the void. Adelie named him "KKibble." (With 2 k's so as not to be confused with dog food. Your guess is as good as mine.)
We didn't make it to the Festival of Lights (yet), but the girls and I joined the Hostetler girls at the Northwoods Church Christmas extravaganza.
I didn't know what to expect, but it far exceeded my expectations. Singing and dancing and costumes and choreography and trampolines and acrobats and live animals...even camels! It was very impressive.
Briggs was feeling better and was back at school for his school Christmas party. I was glad that he didn't have to miss the games and snacks and crafts and fun.
Although not necessarily Christmas-y, Staley went to a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party for a friend. she dressed up as Taylor from her 'Red' Era. I don't even really know what that means.
We celebrated with Zach's family several days before Christmas. Staley and I left early because Staley wasn't feeling well, but we enjoyed some good food, Christmas trivia, time with cousins, and present opening.
Adelie's highlight gift was this mermaid tail.
We spent the next few days enjoying new Christmas gifts. Adelie hung around the house in her mermaid tail, Briggs built Legos and dug for dinosaur bones, and Staley tried on new clothes. But the biggest family fun was trying out Briggs' new laser tag set. The warm December weather made it perfect for shooting each other out in the yard. Nothing says Christmas spirit like trying to take out your own family members.
Although Staley had to stay home with Zach because of her covid isolation, the rest of us got together with my family for Christmas celebrating on Christmas Eve-eve.
Staley and Zach joined us on-line for present opening so they didn't have to miss out on all the family fun.
There was more food, more gifts, more cousin fun, more family time. And it was nice that we fit it in before Adelie joined the ranks of the sick in our house the next day.
Since Adelie's fever showed up on Christmas Eve, we had a quiet day of time at home. We played outside in the 60 degree weather, watched some Bear's football, and then made the Christmas cookies that we hadn't had time to make yet.
Family cookie decorating and a family Christmas movie rounded out our Christmas Eve. And then we sent the kids to bed early so that we could wrap presents, fill stockings, and got ready for a fun Christmas day.
Our countdown to Christmas this year didn't include all the things. I might have dropped the ball on the baking and card writing and delivering. We never drove around looking at Christmas lights or made it to the Festival of Lights. Our Christmas movie watching was pretty limited. We missed the Christmas Eve evening church service. Our Christmas countdown included more fevers and medicine and congestion. We had more isolation and less time with others. It might not have been our typical Christmas countdown, but we still got time with family, time with friends, and time to relax. What more could we want??
