Okay, I may be cheating a bit, but I wanted to get moving since I have been on a hiatus since Wednesday. It has been a long Christmas!
After work on Wednesday, I took care of errands, made some dinner, then went out in Bethesda to celebrate my cousin’s birthday! I did not get home until almost 2 a.m. and had to wake up at 4 to drive down to Waldorf for Christmas Eve festivities. I was baking ALL morning on Christmas Eve, quickly showered and changed, then was back to Bethesda for our family dinner.
About 40 people gathered at my Auntie Edye’s for our annual Christmas celebration. We had an incredible time! Immediately after, I went to the 11 p.m. candlelight church service with my best friend, David Cook. It was a perfect end to a lovely Christmas Eve.
Christmas day was just as hectic since my fiance and I bounced back and forth from our parent’s homes. Thankfully our families live right down the street from each other. Christmas day was filled with great food, gift exchanges, relaxing, and preparing for the Redskins v. Eagles game in Philly the next day. (I bet you can see where this is going…)
Obviously, Saturday did not allow me any time at all to blog. David and I woke up, packed the car, and left for Philadelphia at 9 a.m. We walked around the city with Uncle Paul before heading to the stadium around 2 p.m. Talk about a long day… Saturday was one of the longest days ever! Thankfully, the Redskins won (Sorry, David) and we are NFC EAST CHAMPIONS!!! WOOHOO!!!!
For Christmas, I got David 9th row seats in the end zone for the game. Despite the Eagles losing, I think he had a wonderful time. The seats were just as amazing as you can imagine and the group surrounding us was top notch. The experience was very enjoyable (especially for me since my team came out on top)!
Sunday, we spent the entire day taking down Christmas decorations and sleeping. I apologize for the late blog posts for this 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. If I participate next year (which I plan to do), I will schedule my blogs to post on time!! I promise.
Now, I want to cover two days in one post. Are you with me? Let’s do this.
Day Eleven’s prompt was to share one of my favorite childhood Christmas presents. Thinking back, there are not many presents that really stand out to me. Like I’ve said before, the memories that always stay with me are the ones that involve family, not presents. However, I do remember being so fond of some gifts that I plan to pass on to my daughter one day, should I be so fortunate to have one.
First is anything Polly Pocket. Now, unfortunately, I do not have a ton of PP items left. There are a few I could pass down, I hope. My favorites were the Polly Pockets that had magnets on her feet. I could create and change her house, she would remain in the exact same spot I left her, and nothing would move if the house were to fall over or if I were to travel. My old neighbors and I could play for hours with Polly Pockets. I miss those days.
My next favorite gift was two cabbage patch dolls: Francesca and Lucinda. Ugh, they were the best gift EVER. I remember wanting one so badly because I remember my cousin, Tara, having them as a child. When I opened my presents and saw TWO in one Christmas… I knew it would be a fantastic year. I still have Fran and Lucy, but at my parent’s home. I will definitely be passing them on to my children in the future!
Moving on to Day Twelve! This prompt asks us to share what we are grateful for this Christmas. I am grateful for three things this year: life, love, and family. After a stressful year filled with adversity, I have learned to appreciate life, love, and family more than ever. Simple as that.
I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas. I can say that this was one of the greatest by far! Below is a photo gallery to show you some of my favorite moments from the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.