HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

I started this holiday season with great hesitation. Jake and I were going to be home for Christmas for the first time since we got married, and it's only the second time that I've ever spent Christmas without family (whether mine or Jakes)
I've always been a pretty big Christmas fan... I love the spirit, the excitement, the family time, and I'll be honest... I love a little bit of the glitzy stuff that goes with it too (as commercialized as that may be. lol)
I wasn't sure this year though, how things were going to go for us. No family to celebrate with, and no traditions of our own yet made... we were going to be winging it.
We decided on a simple Christmas... an easy lunch, and a few Christmas movies. Despite my reservations about our 'alone' Christmas, It turned out to be one that I very much enjoyed. Yes, we missed out on family gatherings, and yes, Luke missed out on the craziness of playing with all of his cousins at his Grandma and Grandpa's house, but Jake and I had a wonderful day together enjoying Christmas OUR way! I suppose at some point, every couple needs to start developing their own family traditions... this year was a great start for us to do just that!

 I decided to invite the missionaries over to join us for Christmas lunch. We are far from family, and so are they, so it seemed a great way to share a fun Christmas lunch with someone else.
I tried my hand at a beef pot roast, with carrots, potatoes and celery, in our Crock Pot (slow cooker), baked a loaf of cheese and onion bread, made a side of my moms special green bean mush (the only way I'll eat green beans) and made one of my favourite desserts... peppermint fridge tart... soooo yummy!
Everything turned out pretty good, and needed very little preparation, so I was able to do it all on Christmas Eve, and just start the Crock Pot early on Christmas morning...

Christmas morning, we all got showered and dressed, and then got onto the webcam, so that Luke could open his presents with some of my family watching. His Gogga, aunty Mandy, and great Ouma were all on the camera. He looked so adorable in his little Elf outfit (we got it on clearance the day before Christmas. lol)
Our little man got very spoiled. Needless to say, his play room will be getting a bit of a clean out this coming week, and some older toys will make their way to the attic until the next baby needs them.

The rest of the day was just lunch, games, toys, chatting to family, and a movie... a perfect Christmas day really! :)

READY TO OPEN THE FIRST GIFT... IT'S A BIG ONE

SUCH EXCITEMENT!

 THE CUTEST LITTLE ELF I'VE EVER SEEN

 OoooooH! A MOTORCYLE

I WANTED A PRETTY TABLE SETTING, BUT ON A TIGHT BUDGET...
MY NAPKIN 'RINGS'

 CENTER PIECE...
Vase I already had, filled with left over Christmas Baubles that didn't go on the tree

 SIMPLE, BUT IT WORKED!

 MY OLD SCHOOL SANTA IN FRONT OF OUR LITTLE TREE

 WHAT A HAPPY LITTLE HELPER... We love you my little sweet heart :)

 I TRIED MY HAND AT MAKING CHRISTMAS COOKIES THIS YEAR... NOT BAD FOR A FIRST TIME! :)

Our Christmas was not a white Christmas this year.. though that is not uncommon for North Carolina! The day BEFORE Christmas, we were out in the back yard playing in the leaves with Luke.

HOWEVER, the day AFTER Christmas was a VERY white day... I am quite surprised at the amount of snow we accumulated in one storm in North Carolina... over a foot already!

And now Christmas is over, and we are heading on to the New Year.
We've had a great holiday season so far, and Christmas was so much better than I ever thought it would have been. I'm quite excited for our next one.  For now, we'll just be enjoying our mountain of snow, and Jakes week of vacation until after the New Year...