2026 Hits and Miss

 Aldi's has these cute winter ceramic kits; there were only 4 styles, so I got two of the gnomes and Christmas trees. This, it would turn out, was a poor decision. Henry didn't like the snowman, but the others seemed ok with their kits.

    On Dia de los Reyes, I made a French-style King's cake. It's an almond-filled pastry. My family prefers this style to the Mexican ones I like. I had put aside a whole almond to represent Jesus, but mixed it in and sealed the cake, so I didn't know where the almond was. In the end, no one got the almond, so we didn't get a king. Henry ran upstairs, brought down a tiny crown, and put it in his slice. Declaring himself king. I had to laugh.

    Daniel calls Dia de los Reyes my holiday. I found out that in Ireland, it is referred to as Women's Christmas. Known as Nollaig na mBan, where women get a break from holiday chores, it marks the end of Christmas festivities. So I guess I'll claim it as my holiday.

New Years!

     We were invited to Ron's for New Year's Eve. The Blacks, Heather, and Floyd came too. Unfortunatly Lizzy and Daniel had to work, so they missed out. We ate and played games.

    It was fun and over too soon. Later, we celebrated with our New Year's Crackers.

    The kids went to their New Year's dance on Friday. I think they looked great! Lizzy sported my old shirt, which was fun. It's wild the things she likes from when I was her age.

    True to fashion, they didn't dance much, but they had a good time. It's nice to have Lizzy drive them. I was happy they had a good experience, but am always astounded by how Daniel and I produced so many children who dislike dancing. Alas. 

Merry Making

     We decorated gingerbread houses. 

Played games.

    Heather made a delicious pistachio pie that she shared with us. Henry loved it so much that he licked the plate clean.

    The older three have a New Year's dance, and it's Devon's first dance. It is formal, so we went suit shopping. I took them to Burlington first. I haven't been inside one since before my wedding, but back then, they carried suits. I guess things have changed a bit in 20 years; they didn't have any, and there was a bouncer at the entrance! He gave us a spiel about safety, then lifted the rope for us to enter. It was a bit surreal. We quickly realized that they didn't have anything for us, so we left for JCPenney's. They were having a sale on the suits, so that was fabulous. It took a bit of digging, but we struck gold. We found this burgundy suit coat that was reminiscent of the Doctor from Doctor Who, and I still can't get over how good it looked on Charles. We found a fun matching tie and black shirt, and he was set. For Devon, we had to look farther. He really wanted a vest, but the suits his size do not have vests. I found a lovely blue suit that fits well. I ordered a vest and pants set from Amazon to round it out. Devon was a bit upset that the shades were a bit off, but honestly, they looked great together. 

    After a successful visit, I was hungry, so we went to a nearby breakfast/brunch joint called Shack. It scared Devon because the decor was interesting, there was a huge sign that said something to the effect of: eat bacon so you don't get kidnapped. It was meant in jest, but it unnerved Devon, and he was scared that there were kidnappers about.  He ducked his head under the table and refused to eat. I was unaware  what caused this commotion, as I had not seen the sign, and Devon would not engage with me in conversation. I let him be,e and the rest of us enjoyed a delightful lunch. 

    We had a good day, and the end of our membership collide so I took the younger three to Wonderscope. It was done up for the holidays. It was fun watching the kids play. 

 

    Henry was frantically running back and forth on the train, as I tried to capture him, I could only just get the heel of his foot.

    It was a good day. A nice end to the year.

Christmas!

       I love Christmas Eve, how the bustle of tradition melds into a quiet hush of expectation. I started the day with a hunt for tamales. I always have tamales for Christmas Eve dinner, but had neglected to get them when I was at the store earlier. I found some, but was not particularly excited about them. It was an unknown brand to me. I have lived near a large Latino community for most of my life, so getting good tamales for Christmas was never hard. Here, I haven't found them, so I was settling for whatever I could get, but to my surprise, our neighbor brought over some homemade tamales as a thank you for the cookies. She was so sweet, and I'm afraid I may have startled her with my enthusiasm for them. I told her that she had made my Christmas. They were delicious and just so perfect. 

    After dinner, we gathered to listen to Daniel read from Luke 2. Normally, we also read Stubby Pringle, but we weren't feeling very well, so we kept it short. The kids drifted off to sleep, and I caught this shot of the tree. This is the moment I look forward to the most. The quiet before the storm. It's so magical. 

    The kids surprised me by staying in bed til after 7 am. We had to roust the older kids out of bed. A clear sign that they are still feeling the effects of the flu. I didn't mind the respite. I decided that we would have a Bluey Christmas. I got everyone Bluey Pajamas. Inexplicably, Devon lost his. We always eat breakfast before presents, so Daniel made our traditional monkey bread. Afterwards began the (somewhat subdued) frenzy!

    Charles loves this bike horn; he has been using it non-stop to hilarious effect.

Lizzy loved this crazy toy. You pinch it and blow, and it plays music. It was hysterical.

Merry Christmas!