This was the first Christmas we have ever hosted! What a great time it was. My mom and dad arrived on the day that school let out. Over the next few days our activities included: sledding at Spout Springs, lunch at Hamley's, dinner at The Plateau, lighting of the advent wreath at church, oh yeah, and presents! It seems that these girls still haven't experienced a slim Christmas as the packages were piled high everywhere. Santa filled the stockings with all sorts of surprises too. For me, dinner was a highlight. (Big surprise.) Marc was in charge of the meat! We had beef tenderloins, Alaskan King Crab, and Jumbo Shrimp. Mom and I made salad and artisan bread. Our pumpkin cheesecake offered a mere 800 calories per slice. UGH. Luckily our slices we ate were much smaller than the serving size they suggested.
Grandpa Mike and Grandma Vera delighted the girls with a Karaoke Machine. Once I finally convinced Marc that "Mony, mony" and "Like a Virgin" weren't the best songs for the girls, they cut loose singing their favorite Disney Channel songs. Watch for videos someday. I'm pretty sure none of us are going to make big bucks in the music industry.
Now all that remains are full tummies, happy memories, 2/3rds of a cheesecake and a HUGE mess in our house.
A penny thought: Christmas memories of family & friends last a lot longer than memories of things. I had a hard time telling my girls what my favorite Christmas present was, but instead easily recalled many special times spent with loved ones.
