Christmas Day 2009

Finally.

We had a very limited budget this Christmas, and I was quite stressed for a while. I hated the thought of my kids being disappointed on Christmas morning. But I used coupons where I could, bought on sale when possible, made gifts for people when I was able and managed to stretch our little budget pretty far.

In all honesty, I think I liked it better this way. The kids weren't overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff, and I don't have to find a home for a bunch of stuff they didn't need in the first place.

Christmas morning, we got up to see what Santa left and to open our gifts from each other. The Tween Queen had told me that she didn't mind not getting any gifts at all if she could just get a cell phone. I talked her daddy into it, ordered and received it before Thanksgiving, and spent the month of December explaining to her that a twelve year old really doesn't need a cell phone. I told her it would make our monthly bill increase by about $30.00 because we would have to add unlimited texting if she had her own phone. I had her convinced there was no way on God's green earth she was getting a phone.

Surprise! And no, I still don't think a twelve year old needs a phone! Wants? Yes. Needs? No.

After we finished up at home, we got dressed and drove the fifteen minutes to Nana's house (my mother-in-law). We always have Christmas morning breakfast at Nana's with my sister-in-law, her three kids, and her granddaughter. Breakfast is always yummy.... biscuits and ham, scrambled eggs, grits, fruit and my cream cheese danish.

My mother-in-law always over does it at Christmas. This year, she asked if it would be okay for her to get a group gift for my kids. She wanted to get them a Wii. That was one of the things they had already asked for, and I knew it would free up a large chunk of my budget, so I told her to go for it. I think they thought because they didn't get it from Santa, they weren't getting it at all, so they were very surprised when they opened it.

(Sidenotes: The Boy recently decided to turn everything into a phone, hence the MagnaDoodle pen in his ear. Little boy hugging the daddy...too precious. The cutie patootie little girl is my great niece. Isn't she adorable? We think someone may have drugged the dog.)

Once we finish up with gifts at Nana's we load all our new loot up in the car, go home, unload and reload with our suitcases and gifts to take to Grandma's house in Georgia. The girls always watch some of their new movies in the car. Little Man slept most of the drive. The hubby and I listen to Christmas music and talk, and I might nod off a little here and there. My husband works for a grocery store, so the days leading up to any holiday are very busy for him. The three hour drive to Georgia is actually pretty nice as we get to catch up.

My parents have ten grandchildren. The oldest is almost 14, and my Little Man is the youngest at 22 months. Can you say CHAOS? They don't all get together very often, so when they do, they go a little nuts.

Once we arrived at Grandma's house, I started helping her get Christmas dinner ready. After dinner, and after at least one child had asked the adults at least 28 times if they could just hurry up already, we opened more gifts.

(Sidenotes: The Boy was quite intrigued by Grandaddy's mounted deer heads. I have now realized that the pictures of Little Man were not taken on Christmas Day. They were the next night. I know this because A.) those are not the jammies he wore on Christmas night, and 2.) that mess on the tv? That's the 'Urban Meyer is retiring' newsflash. Which of course was followed the next day by the 'Urban Meyer might not retire' newsflash. Which of course was followed by the 'Urban Meyer is not retiring' newsflash. All of which makes me question why I live in the middle of Gator Nation. Oh wait, 30 minute drive to the beach, yep, that's it!)

By the end of the day, everyone was stuffed and exhausted.