It was a pretty memorable Christmas for the B’s. Not because there were any super special presents, although we’re having trouble forcing the girls to stop playing with their Barbie Dream House. It wasn’t because of a surprise visitor, although we did have some fun guests. Nope, it was the anticipation of the Blizzard of 2012 that really added something special that set this year apart.
So a quick review of the past few days.
Sunday we had an impromptu get-together at a local family gathering point. There was cookie decorating, beverages, and kid-friendly games.
We came home Monday and prepared of our Christmas Eve traditions. The church we’ve attended mass at the last few years features one of the longest masses in all of Indiana, which is a special holiday treat for the kids, the non-Catholics, and the bad Catholics in the family. But we survived and trekked to the in-laws’ for our annual Christmas Eve feast.
We got home, told the girls that if they didn’t get to bed, Santa might skip our house, and it was like Ralphie and Randy Parker scrambling to bed in A Christmas Story. When the coast was clear, I was put in charge of assembling the Dream House, which was a dream, I tell you. I had assistance from my brother-in-law and his fiancé, and we managed to get it together without too much cursing or consternation.
Sometime around 5 am christmas morning, M. came strolling into our bedroom. She was summarily sent back to bed, and she and her sisters managed to hold out until 7:30 or so when we roused them. And then the shrieking was on.
The Dream House was a big hit, although we had to make sure C. understood it was for all of them, not just her, even though she was the only one who had specifically asked for it. She also got a Barbie closet among other things. M. got a cake pop maker. L. got a talking cash register, a light saber, and a race track. Later, when I was a customer and her ‘store’ buying gifts for my pretend four-year-old, L. asked me, “Is she a Tomboy?” Yes, I believe she is. The girls also shared Just Dance 4 for their Wii.
After some playtime the immediate family joined us for brunch and the girls got a gift from their Mimi: lunch with the princesses on our Disney visit next month. It was pretty funny. They each got a little Disney princess gift set with a purse, gloves, and necklace. With that was a note from their Mimi, which M. read aloud, telling them about the princess meal. M. read, the other two listened, and none of them got it at first. They sat there looking around in anticipation, waiting for the payoff, not hearing the words M. was reading. Once they got it though, they were pretty fired up.
It was a solid Christmas Day. I did have to say, “Stop playing with your sister’s toys!” way too much. And am still saying it too often, in fact. You’d think I’d be used to that by now, but I’m not.
Wednesday dawned cold and white, a light covering of snow already on the ground, with much more to come. While we just missed the worst of it, at 6+ inches it was our biggest snowstorm in nearly two years. I got the snowblower out for the first time since January 2011, which made my week. The girls got to play with the neighbors, including hiding in a sweet little snow fort the dads helped them put together.
We may not have had a white Christmas, but having the city shut down for snow on the 26th was a pretty decent consolation, at least for the girls.
I hope all of you had happy, warm, and safe Christmases.