Hello Christmas 🎄
Christmas is in the air and I for one am loving it!
Maybe it’s the frigid temperatures! Maybe it makes me feel like Christmases of Winnipeg past. When I look back at those Christmases it just makes me feel good. Warm and fuzzy. There really wasn’t one Christmas that stood out… OK, maybe one or two 😉. Throughout the years the activities changed but the feeling of bubbling excitement was always present.
The lead up to Christmas… That’s what got me! I specifically remember doing a booklet that my grade 5 teacher gave me, Miss Gobeil. To be honest she was a bitch 😬 actually now that I’m an adult and I know more words I realize that she was actually patronizing and condescending LOL anyways, she gave out a Christmas package that began on December 1. Every day my excitement grew as I did Xmas word searches, elf multiplication and holiday colouring. I love that feeling! I remember making musicals, like actually writing 10 songs with a script and getting my Brother and Sister to act out their parts in our big performance on Christmas Eve LOL I was totally crazy! I would make snowflakes out of borax and decorate the whole house in Christmas! I began decorating my Mom’s fern in November!
For me anticipation has always been where my excitement comes from. The actual event I would say it is a let down but it’s not, it’s just… Reality 😜.
This year, I’m in it! School ended in a flurry of Christmas activity! Christmas concert, craft day, another Christmas concert, and pancake breakfast! I planned an activity for each day of our holidays leading up to Christmas. Christmas break this year has been a little controversial. We are out waaaaaaay earlier than usual. I for one love this! However, I see it from the other side… I asked HBear’s teacher what she preferred and she explained that by having time off before Xmas she feels like she has less of a break. Totally get it! There is so much to do before Christmas that it doesn’t actually feel like a holiday. I personally dislike the week after Christmas. The holiday hangover if you will. My energy is always before the day. We can do Christmas activities and really get into the mood rather than last day on the 23rd and then down time after the holiday. Personal preferences 😊.
This week we had a lovely potluck at SBean’s Xmas concert. We were the last to sign up (thanks Ninja 😜) and got stuck with finger sandwiches. I Pinterested an easy little recipe from a very trusted source and they turned out so well! They were festive, easy to make (Ninja made them while I was at Craft Day at HBear’s school), and they tasted good! They were the 1st to go on the buffet table.
Christmas Tortilla Rollups
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 flour tortillas
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
5 green onions, sliced
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, 1/2 to 3/4 of the packet of ranch dressing mix (add the rest to taste), and pepper.
Sprinkle on both bell peppers and the green onion. Roll them up nice and tight, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
Before serving, slice into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices and serve on a platter.
The day after her concerts she had craft day! I love craft day! We made 5 different ornaments! I love her teacher! The Kids were awesome! So well behaved and so creative. We made a poinsettia, a sleeping mouse, a picture ornament, a clay owl and an old-fashioned mitten ornament.
I had to leave a bit early to get to SBean’s first Christmas Concert! Adorable! SBean and another little boy were the “band leaders” 😊 They sang 10! Songs! They were so great!
SBean was the only child scared about sitting on Sanata’s lap! Which was good and bad. Good because I think if she looked closely she would definitely have seen that it was Papa behind the beard 😂 As soon as he walked in I thought, SHIT! It is funny because although SBean didn’t recognize him her little PSBesty sure did! LOL She told her Mom later that, “that wasn’t MY Santa. My Santa has glasses and a real beard. That was Sydney’s Santa!” BAHAHAHAHA. Smarty Pants!
On our 1st day off we had Baking Day. After lunch Ninja took the Girls to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping. HBear’s school usually does a Christmas Extravaganza where the teachers bring in old items and allow the kids to go “shopping” with their quarters, dimes and nickels. This year with so many new teachers and administration, that didn’t happen. HBear was devastated that she had nothing to give everybody for Christmas. I reminded her about the amazing gifts she made in school for Grandma/Grandpa, Papa, SBean, and Mommy/Daddy. Apparently that was not enough. She had very specific ideas about what she wanted to get everyone. I completely understand. I used to circle things from the Sears wishbook and cut out pictures from the Consumers Distributing book! I would make little booklets with all the images pasted in next to each family member’s name. Every year my Sister got a new porcelain doll, my Mom got a new charm for her charm necklace, Dad and Bro got boy things like shavers and ties 😂. I really saved up all of my allowance and all of my birthday money all year to make sure I could buy gifts for my family. SBesty says that my language of love is gift giving, I would have to agree with her 😜.
HBear wanted to get Grandma a new handbag because she noticed that Grandma has had the same one for a while. Of course she picked out a $350 Calvin Klein purse! She also picked out $185 sweater for Papa LOL. They didn’t come home with anything so I guess Ninja talked her down LOL
The next day was Christmas crafts! First, HBear and I went grocery shopping. We had a great time! It is times like that that I wish school did not exist… And then she hits my heels with the cart.
This week we are going to go sledding! Build gingerbread houses at Grandma and Grandpa’s! I have a lunch date with SBesty! And of course light hunting on Christmas Eve!
Each evening Ninja wraps a group of presents and then brings them into me for Bowing and tagging. I hate wrapping and he hates ribbons, it’s a perfect match! I sit on the bed watching Christmas movies off the W Network and he sits in the garage listening to Sports podcasts LOL.
