As much work as it entails, I really enjoy sending out our holiday card every year - for every envelope I address it reminds me how much love we have in our lives.
Plus it almost always guarantees a really good return on our investment….
While our holiday weather this year was decidedly warm, the evenings still had a nice nip. Just enough to require a little bundling up and snuggling up.
On Christmas Eve we continued our annual tradition of Chinese food for dinner, followed by a tour of the local community's holiday lights. A stop at the house of Jim (or pool guy/family friend) to exchange gifts, as in years past, was still a highlight.
To encourage Santa's arrival, we baked brownies and set them out by the fireplace along with oats for his reindeer (on a Hanukkah plate, natch)….
Christmas morning brought a new Nutcracker and a few other goodies for Lauren from Santa.
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Followed by a buffet brunch that brought our families together, stuffing us with an eclectic smorgasbord of Jewish deli favorites, Honeybaked ham, and Armenian delicacies prepared by Joe's mom Mary.
Not to mention plenty of champagne for the adults.
[that's grape juice of course in Lauren's flute]
[Joe's cousin George, aka "Tickle George"]
With temps well into the 70s, we all naturally gravitated outside.
Then exchanged a few small gifts.
[My mom reacting to Joe's surprise spa gift certificate]
[Lauren and I in sweaters knit by Mary]
The rest of the afternoon was spent regretting our gluttony, getting over it and eating more, and later vowing to never eat again.
We are now several days into the new year, and while the most recent series of holidays are over, we are learning that with the right mindset, we have so much to celebrate every day of the year.
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