Last Monday we returned to our regularly scheduled lives after our winter holiday. While I worked a few days over the winter break, Peter and the girls were all off school and so our schedule was drastically different. Working when Peter is off and can be home with the girls is 100% easier than days when we are both working and juggling school pick-ups, kid activities, and what to make for dinner.
This was a year for us to stay on the Coast for Christmas and we celebrated with Peter’s side of the family. His parents live here and his brother and his family came up for a few days. After Christmas, the four of us went into Vancouver and celebrated with my side of the family. Peter and I have agreed that this was one of our most relaxing Christmas seasons ever. Certainly since having children. A few reasons why:
- Nobody got sick! This basically hasn’t happened in a decade or more.
- School break fell at a great time this year where we had a few days off before Christmas Day and then more than a week afterward. We got home from all our Christmas celebrations on December 30th and then basically had nothing to do for almost a week. It was lovely.
- We kept it very simple, gift-wise. Our kids each get one big gift (lego this year), a smaller gift they’d been particularly wanting, a couple of books, and then stocking things. On both sides of our family, adults opted for a White Elephant gift exchange where we each brought something thrifted or homemade.
- We had Christmas morning at home and then joined family for a delicious dinner that my in-laws graciously hosted.
- We scaled way back on Christmas Eve. I love Christmas Eve and I always want to do.it.all. But my job is the absolute craziest in the lead up to Christmas and I typically work until about 4pm on Christmas Eve. This year we had accepted an invitation to a potluck dinner party with friends and while I was excited about it, the more I thought about it, the more stressed I felt. So we bowed out and the difference it instantly made to my stress level told me I made the right choice. I worked, had the annual backroom Prosecco toast with my co-workers, had a simple dinner at home with my husband and children, and went to Christmas Eve service at home. The girls opened their traditional Christmas Eve gift of matching jammies and Peter and I were in bed before 11pm.
I won’t lie, having a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old also makes Christmas pretty amazing. They are young enough to be so excited but old enough to not melt down from that excitement. They were generous and thoughtful in picking out gifts for each other and for us. They can keep surprises and made cool crafts at school to bring home. They were both happy to sit and read for long periods of time over their school break. Their cousins who came to visit are close in age and the four of them had long periods of going off to play together where we parents could relax or visit together. Their cousins in the city are teenagers but now my kids are old enough to play board games or do more intricate art projects with them.
And don’t worry, Winnie the Dog was also thoroughly spoiled at Christmas. She received two new bones, a bag of special dog treats, and chew toy shaped like a fish.
Karissa Reads Books 
That does sound like a lovely Christmas! I agree, the break fell in a very convenient place this year – I normally host Christmas for my family, since I have the most space (and also because I really love hosting), and it was a treat to have a quiet week once they’d gone without much to do.
How nice of you to host! Did you have a lot of people? Glad you got some time to rest afterward too!
No, my family is only two people (plus me!) – my mum and my brother. But two calm people who are very easy to get on with is a perfectly manageable number of people – even though all three of us live alone, so it’s a shock when we all have to occupy the same space for a few days!
Oh yes, that can actually be trickier if you have people who are very set in their habits. Good thing you all can get along!
Sounds like a great time was had by all!
I love that Rose sits there with her legs crossed like a tiny adult, lol. She’s been doing that for a long time! I’m so glad this was more low-key for you. I thought maybe a Pollock would be less stressful because everybody just brings one thing, but I’m also not thinking from the perspective of a parent or a person who works until 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Interestingly, my nieces and nephew all wanted Lego for Christmas too. It’s not just bricks anymore; it’s like pictures that you make 3D, almost like a puzzle.
That’s Pearl but yes, she’s done that since she was pretty little! For the potluck it was more the work aspect that made feel complicated for me. Peter is fully capable of making a dish to share but I think I also felt overwhelmed at the idea of socializing after dealing with people so much at work.
Why do I confuse your kids’ names? I know which is which and then type the wrong thing! I think it’s because they’re both named after lovely objects, so my brain thinks I should be confused. Stop it, brain. I definitely meant potluck, not Pollock. Lately, I’ve been using the WordPress jetpack app on my phone instead of typing, because to sit down and go through the comments on my laptop takes designated time, whereas on my phone I can just be anywhere. Fingers crossed I haven’t typed something horribly offensive somewhere!
They got it quite a bit, especially at school, I think!
I am often doing my blog reading/commenting at 6am so sometimes I wonder how coherent I sound!