… and just like that … Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have come and gone!   I can hardly believe how quickly this holiday season went!   Our family did our usual traditions (which, if you know me at all, you know I love traditions … after-all, memories are made from traditions).   Christmas Eve we make and decorate cookies for Santa … and go to the pick up pageant with my family at St. Matts … Tyler makes an adorable shepherd and Sabrina a beautiful angel.  And I get to sing all of my favorite Christmas carols as loud as I want.  Then we go home and have clam chowder (an Eaton family tradition) and watch Love Actually while the elves go to work building whatever gift Santa has left! This year it was a Razor big wheel that sparks.

And then Christmas morning starts as soon as Sabrina can convince us all that it’s time!  She tried to get us all moving before five … but thankfully, even Tyler wanted to sleep a little more!  So — we almost made it until the sun came up!  Our family started a tradition of four gifts a few years ago — Something you Want, Something you Need, Something to Wear and Something to Read.  I love it.  It keeps Christmas simple and beautiful.   After we empty our stockings, we have breakfast … which is hard for the kiddos to stare at all the presents under the tree … but I like to make the morning last as long as possible (plus I need an excuse to get more coffee).   And then the chaos starts … Sabrina hands out presents and both the kids help me open my four presents because really, their joy is what makes the day so exciting.   And I love the look of the wrapping paper and toys and books and everything spread all over the floor.  It reminds me of all of our Christmas mornings when I was a kiddo in South Dakota with 16 grandchildren and ten aunts and uncles all piled into one room with hundreds of gifts all over the floor.  Memories.  It’s what makes the season bright.

Anyway … these are a few of my favorite snapshots from our last few days!  Sabrina took a few pics of me and Tyler in my robe — and I almost didn’t let her take them … because, you know, I’m in my robe and barely awake … but one day, when Tyler sees those pictures, I guarantee he isn’t going to notice what I was wearing.  But he will notice that his mother looks at him with pure love and joy.

… and if you are like me and like a trip down memory lane … here is last years Christmas morning!