Three Christmases | Part One | Denise's Family Christmas

Monday, December 18, 2017

In our family, we usually have at least three Christmases. I wouldn't have it any other way! I love the extended Christmas season with lots of excuses for drowning out the rest of the world and bunkering down with all of our favorite people.

This year had the potential to be a hot mess; the crazy, exhausting, stressful season that so many people deal with every year. However, we decided in advance that this year, we're going to ENJOY the Christmas season. I decided I wasn't going to let anything stress me out, including MOVING four. days. before our first Christmas weekend began.

Brian and I spent the first week of December simultaneously packing our house and preparing for the company Christmas party. On December 7, UPACK picked up our pods. On December 8, we had a fabulous Christmas party with all of the employees. That night, we finished packing up and we headed out bright and early December 9. That evening we pawned our kids and pups off with the Hollingsworths in Ghent, KY, then headed to Dry Ridge to celebrate Alyssa's wedding! On Sunday, December 10 we completed the final leg of the journey and returned to our home in St. Charles.

We spent Monday through Wednesday simultaneously unloading pods (with the help of our awesome family) and shopping and decorating for Christmas. My trees were a top priority. By the time Mom & Curt arrived on Thursday evening, we had successfully ordered Christmas gifts, decorated like woah, and hid all of the unpacked boxes in the garage. We were ready!



It was so so good to be home for Christmas this year!! Mom & Curt came down for the weekend. Devin, Katie, and Jack couldn't make it, so we weren't quite complete, but we're counting on all being together next year!

It was a whirlwind weekend! Friday, mom and I spent the day shopping for last minute gifts, groceries for the weekend, and a cute bonus: matching jammies for all of the adults! Bahahaa! As soon as the kids were out of school, the festivities began!

Friday night we bundled up and hauled out to Holiday in the Park at Six Flags! Brian and I are beside ourselves with giddiness (?) that the kids are old enough to enjoy this type of thing. Beckett rode his first roller coaster, we all saw Santa, took in the lights, and experienced a really neat Christmas Story musical. We finished the night with s'mores around a campfire. Perfection.





Saturday was a jam-packed day. We started the morning with presents, hauled out to a soccer game (that got cancelled), and then came back and changed into JAMMIES! The boys made deep fried something or other while the girls crafted with the kids (how cliche are we?!). We spent all afternoon relaxing and playing games. Then we put those dern kids to bed and finished the festivities with adult only time! A couple of years ago, we started having adults open their presents once the kids were sleeping. BRILLIANT. It's so much more fun this way! After opening our (awesome) gifts, we broke out the games! We played that silly mitten game that's been going around on Facebook and it was HILARIOUS! Then the girls spent the rest of the evening DOMINATING in Catch Phrase.

Sunday morning we finished our weekend off with breakfast together at IHOP! The weekend was quick, but super special. I love these people! 

No comments :

Post a Comment

Made With Love By The Dutch Lady Designs