What I got for Xmas 2016

Disclaimer - this is not a post to brag about what I got for Christmas.  Some of my favorite blogs and vlogs are the "what I got for Xmas" type and thought it would be fun to share because I am always interested in learning about what kinds of things others are into... and even find some new interests for myself.

PJs - A gift from my mom they are super comfortable and have an Indian-inspired design.  Definitely will be nice to wear on our trip to London & Paris in the Spring.

In The Charcuterie - A cookbook about making your own meats.

Felt Succulent Kit by Craft Crush

Paint by Sticker book - looks like a nice way to relax

Dirty Dancing CDs - because I have tix to see the Broadway show in a few months and need to brush up on the soundtrack!

Owl Paint by Number - again, nice and relaxing project

Breakfast Club Funko Pop - Allison Reynolds

Etsy Gift Cards - So much to decide on I am having trouble selecting anything.  I may just wait till I need a new pattern.

Billie Jean mug - Probably the most desired item on my list, Fair is Fair!

Fleetwood Mac on vinyl

Books!  - Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Peter Beagle's Summerlong,  Make the Most of Your Time on Earth, Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories, and the Judy Blume Boxed Set (all my own so I don't have to share!)

Tarte SwampQueen palette

Marshall Headphones

Echo Dot - Alexa sits on my nightstand now and mostly streams Florence + the Machine since I am so obsessed lately

Movies! - Alice through the Looking Glass, Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, and Super Girl

Yankee Candle Wax Warmer - Love me some white owls!

White Owl Mug

Scarves

Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything.  I am incredibly thankful for all my gifts but mostly just thankful for the time with family to celebrate the season.

Christmas Vacation 2016 Recap

My family and I have a tradition of taking off the last week of Christmas to enjoy a nice family staycation.  This year we had a total of 10 days off in a row which made it a nice long break.

Christmas Eve my family headed out for dinner at a local restaurant called Greystone.  It is a steak and seafood place and new to all of us.  In prior years we have gone to Scotch & Sirloin but thought it would be a nice change.  Our overall impression was it was decent.  Some things were just ok (steak, prime rib) and some things were excellent (soup, corn, mushrooms).  The bit that we didn't love was the noisy table behind us that was a buzz kill to our dinner... we could barely hear each other talk. After dinner we opened gifts with my mom and sister's family.

Christmas morning my family was up early to open presents from each other and from Santa.  There were some big hits including the Chewbacca Mask, a Tablet, and a Drone.

For Christmas Dinner I hosted 40 people from my and my husband's family.  It was our biggest turnout yet. We had family from out of town in attendance this year as well which made it extra special.  We typically do a White Elephant gift exchange and we did again this year but we also played two additional games that I set up.  The first was the Paper plate Christmas Drawing game.  Each person followed a set of directions while drawing on a paper plate sat upon their head.  The second game was the saran wrap ball which was a much bigger hit.  Essentially a ball of prizes is rolled up in a big ball of saran wrap and people have to get the prizes out while wearing gloves and restricted to the time it takes their neighbor to roll doubles with two dice.  It was a lot of fun to see people go crazy over this ball.  Definitely a repeat for future years.

After Christmas we had quite a bit planned in advance to make the most of our break.  We had several outings for lunch and dinner.  I have a couple of family members who are obsessed with Abuelos so we made our annual visit there.  I managed to squeeze in a couple of my favorites including Wasabi which has my favorite sushi and Meddys, a Mediterranean place I love.

We checked out Color Me Mine where we selected and painted a ceramic.  It was a little pricey but we did hit it on a day where we got 50% off studio fees.  I think mine turned out best but then again, I'm partial to myself lol.

We did an Escape Room at WeXcape.  This was our first time trying and while we didn't make it out of the room in an hour, we did have a good time and would definitely do it again.



We hit up The Alley for a day of bowling, go-carts, video games, and laser maze.  I really enjoyed the bowling and it had been a couple years since I last bowled.  We definitely need to do this more often and hopefully when my brother in law doesn't have a bad back!

We had a game night where we ate junk food and played some games as a family.  We are definitely a competitive bunch!

We saw a few movies -- Rogue One (just my husband and kiddos because it is so not my thing), The Arrival, and Passengers.  I really liked The Arrival.  It had multiple themes which were hopeful and relevant to the world today.  The power of communication is deeply underestimated.  I also enjoyed Passengers more so than I thought I would.

And last, we did some sitting around at home watching movies (Alice Through the Looking Glass!) and vegging.   It was a great break and I'm sad to see it go....

Christmas Memories

Over the years, my attitude towards Christmas has changed quite a bit. Growing up, it was always such an exciting time with days of fun and looking forward to opening gifts and being with family.  As time has gone on, I feel a little cautious and anxious. I'm constantly reminded of how little control we have over our own mortality and those we care about.  The week of Christmas has been a hard week for my family over the years, I have lost an aunt, a grandmother, and my father all in week surrounding Christmas over three separate years.  Their passing was incredibly hard and still is at times. My dad passed away unexpectedly 6 years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and talk to him in my head.  I would give anything to just talk with him and tell him about how we have all been doing... the good and bad.  This year I told my husband I was having trouble feeling in the spirit, I think the state of my country from the recent election was a big contributor but so was the continuous increase of commercialism and selfishness.

This last week I finally started to get into the holiday season.  I started focusing on the memories and traditions that are meaningful to me.  I do not care if I receive a single present for Christmas. What I do care about is being able to do things with my own family that are important to me at Christmas to carry on traditions and create new memories as well.

Cookie Baking - Baking cookies were so important growing up.  My mom and grandmother were excellent bakers and we always committed many hours to making cookies and candies for the holidays.  My girls and I spend at least a day each holiday season doing the same, with my mom if possible.  This year she came over and we made several things and I loved every minute of it.  I also love watching how independent my girls are now... reading directions, washing their own dishes...

Holiday Movies - Every year my dad would make us watch a movie on Christmas Eve but we also watched plenty of holiday movies throughout the season.  I remember watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation together with him a couple of years before he passed.  It has always been a favorite and my family sat down with my mom and watched it together again this year.  We have also managed to check out Krampus (which is more of a Christmas Horror) and have several others on our list.

Christmas Dinner - Over the years Christmas dinner on my mom's side of the family was always hosted by my grandparents, my mom, or an aunt.  In the last few years I have taken over as the host of dinner for my family and some of my husband's family that is local.  We usually have a pretty big turnout.  While it is a lot of work, I love having people over to my house to celebrate the day and play games.  We typically do The White Elephant game which serves as a good hour of entertainment at least.

Holiday Giving - Something that my husband I have done since we became a couple is to make it a tradition to give to at least one charity or cause over the holiday season.  Over the years we have given to the Human Society, families we knew were in need, Angel trees, and the Goodwill. As time has gone on we have made our girls a part of these traditions and it is one of my favorite parts.  This year we are doing a couple of things and my girls decided to each give up a gift that would allow them to do extra giving.  I am so very proud of how selfless and loving they can be.

Holiday PJ's - I love seeing my girls in holiday pj's.  For the last several years I have bought them pj's that matched. This year I surprised them with my own matching pj's as well.  I love getting a cozy picture in front of the tree to commemorate the season.

Christmas Break - Growing up my mom always had the week off between Christmas and New Years from work that allowed us to go and do fun things.  We hit up the movies, hung out with friends and cousins, made NYE snacks, and enjoyed our new gifts. This year my husband and I are doing the same and hope to spend the week with the girls enjoying being at home and doing local things in our city.