Christmas

So many times holidays can carry with them stress. Sure there are fun decorations and yummy foods and traditions to look forward to, but also there can be unmet expectations and meltdowns and just stress. For several years now I have tried very hard to prevent some of those stressors meltdowns by planning things in advance to head them off, or having talks as a family in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Honestly, this year I did not have much faith that it would be any different than years past. Thanksgiving had train-wreck components, my family would be visiting for over two weeks, some of that time would include Lehr's mom as well, and some of the pre-teen emotions present in Maddux right now have been piling on top of Eli's ever-present desire to control and know everything about the current situation.

It was a Christmas miracle though! We played board games every night, we sat by the fire and talked, we made food together and no one complained (too much)... we even managed to avoid an all-out scene/meltdown by anyone! And even despite us having cold cold weather (mostly rainy) confining us to the house most days, I honestly feel like it was one of our best Christmas seasons ever!

Eli got a little stir crazy one day and asked if he could take Ruby on a bike ride around the neighborhood. We hooked up the kid carrier to the back of his bike and set him loose. But in the process, he made a sign for the back of the carrier:

We had the opportunity to hang out with friends, spend time by the fire, make an awful big mess in the kitchen at least three times each day, and spend more time by the fire. The day after Christmas, we ventured out so the big kids could go ice skating; we went from being cold outside to being cold inside.

We did a scavenger hunt for Baby Jesus on Christmas morning. As much as my kids talked it up last year (because I didn't do it based on their handling of it the year before), they weren't too into it. But that was ok because the highlight of the whole week was the first annual CHRISTM-OLYMPICS! For about two months before everyone was to arrive, I started planning games for us all to participate in. They were basically minute-to-win-it type party games, and I'd changed them all to fit into a holiday theme. We ended up doing them after church on Christmas Eve and had to stop only halfway through because it got so late! Everyone got to participate, even Ruby!
(video shot and edited by Eli)