Christmas Week 2013

Just a few memories of the good times we had...

Andrea and I got to see Michael O'Brien in concert on the Saturday before Christmas. He has an admirable knack for writing contemporary Christmas songs that still sound "Christmas-y". "Gloria" and "With Us" are my two favorites. A lot of his lyrics, and some of his tunes, feel borrowed, but I still like his arrangements better than the other songs they reminded me of. All of his Christmas music is about Christ- no "winter" stuff thrown in there, so it's perfect for Advent!  And he has a voice like an angel. His rendition of "Oh Holy Night" (which is not even on his album, boo-hoo) is celestial. Andrea bought his Christmas album (The title of it actually is Christ` Mas). We listened to it during our Sunday Advent devotions- and several times afterwards!

On Sunday afternoon Kayley and I had a tag-making party. We set the mood in my bedroom with Christmas music, Christmas candles, twinkle lights, and a YouTube fireplace! I made a bunch of feather gift toppers that I was just crazy about!

 

Later in the afternoon we had a Charlie Brown party (I call everything a party.) We ate fudge and salsa trail mix and cookies- all those Christmas goodies Andrea and I get for being preschool teachers. Andrea says A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of those Christmas traditions she pretends to like, but I really do like it. It can't be Christmas without Charlie Brown!

Christmas Eve morning had a sweet start: my sisters, dad, and I all went to Starbucks for some morning coffee, a rare treat for us. I got an eggnog latte. It's more spicy than sweet, but I liked it more and more as I drank it. (I think that means all the sugar went to the bottom and I didn't stir it enough.)

Christmas Eve we went to the 5:00 service at our church. If it were up to me, we'd celebrate with a midnight service, but my family won't hear of it.

We came home and ate tamales made fresh from HEB. Then it was time for a wood fire, pumpkin cookies, and more fudge.

 My sisters and I like to bring our presents downstairs and place them under the tree together- but we don't check the names on the tags until the next morning!

Heather and I were the Christmas Breakfast Team, so we were up with the sun, cooking. So was Momma, of course!

I'm working on another post with the recipes we used. The main dish was baked French toast with built-in syrup, and we had broiled grapefruit and berries to balance out the sugar with a little tartness. We eat in the living room!

How to give money as a gift. She liked it :)

Kayley with the half-done apron I sewed her (I finished the next day:) I had her pick out the fabric, but I didn't tell her what it was for. She guessed it was a lamp shade. Luckily the fabric worked nicely as a vintage country style apron too.

Someone else gave her a lamp too!

Here are some of the presents I got: short brown leather gloves with bows at the wrist, ear piercing, organic cotton sheets, a pillow, a tote bag with a Scottie dog print, beaded hair elastics that double as cute bracelets, tiny hair clips, a waterfalls calendar, The Sign of the Beaver DVD, candy, amaretto cookie hot chocolate mix, Starbucks cards and restaurant gift cards, and some more money that I haven't spent yet. It will probably go to earrings as soon as I can take out my studs. Andrea got us some paperback classics as a family present.

Grandma gave each of us an Egyptian glass bell ornament this year.

My dad got Settlers of Catan, the board game, and it's my new favorite game!

For dinner, Mama added two new vegetables to the meal: artichokes and marinated broccoli. I made a balsamic vinegar/mayonnaise dipping sauce for my artichoke, but they were even better dipped in the broccoli marinade.

This was the first year my sisters and I got stem glasses. Because I saw them for $1 apiece at HEB the day before Christmas Eve and snatched them up. The same day I found these red tapered candles at Joann for 70% off (The store employees were actually in the process of setting up the Valentine's Day décor). That is a great day to go shopping.

After we opened presents we put together a puzzle that was another family present, and in the evening we went to another subdivision to look at their famous Christmas lights. Nothing show-stopping, but they were pretty good as far as lights go these days.

Andrea and Kayley baked a tiramisu cheesecake. Scrumptious isn't good enough of a word for it.

That's about it for this Christmas!