Christmas is finally over. The kids all came home this afternoon and we had our family Christmas. We all watched the Chiefs game, ate soup and snacked on Christmas cookies and candies. It was fun for me to watch the kids interact with each other and enjoy themselves.
We don’t do the present thing except for the little ones. The adults do a white elephant exchange which is fun. This year I gave each of my kids a family heirloom. Jason got my dad’s pocket watch, Michelle got the wooden horse that belonged to my mother’s father, and Nicole got the oil lamp that belonged to my great grandparents. They all seemed to appreciate the family history behind the gift they got.
We played two games. The first was a red solo cup game. Hidden underneath the cups were a variety of prizes. Most had a few pieces of candy, four had $25 gift certificates to restaurants, and a few others had little gifts. A couple cups had steal, trade or give away. The kids had fun playing it. The other game was picking out candy canes from a basket. Most of the candy canes had numbers on them and the prize for the candy canes that had a number on them was an envelope with cash in it. Some were worth $1, some $3, some $5, some $10 and some $20. A couple of the kids raked in the cash.
It was so fun to have all the kids here for the afternoon and evening. I so enjoy their company. It was fun to relax, watch the football game, and visit with them.
I’m glad Christmas is over for this season though. Christmas is not my favorite time of the year and it feels good to have it done with. The best part of Christmas is the family gathering and enjoying each other.
I got rid of all of the Christmas treats. I managed to get all of what I had on my list made. I made peanut brittle and potato candy today. Glad all of that stuff is out of the house. I don’t eat any of it but I have moments of being tempted.
Tomorrow I will do a bit of housecleaning and finish cleaning up the kitchen. I put one load of dishes in the dishwasher and will have at least one more load to do in the morning. This house cleans up quickly after events like this one. I don’t have anything to do tomorrow so will have plenty of time to get things cleaned up.
Tagen turns 17 in another week or so. I gave him his birthday present today. He seemed pleased with it. I can’t believe Tagen is going to be 17. Where does time go?
Next week will feel a bit strange to me as I won’t have this event today to look forward to. I have lots of empty space on my calendar next week. I’m going to have to figure out what to do with myself.
Grateful for my kids and their families, grateful the kids appreciated their family heirloom gift, and grateful Christmas is over.