Well, since we’re back from the whirlwind of Christmas festivities, I suppose I should probably squeeze the obligatory Christmas post in before we hit the ground running in the new year.  In short, it was awesome.  A seriously great Christmas.

Truth be told, not all of our Christmases have been so merry.  Because, let’s face it, being married to a pastor with lots and lots of Christmasey church responsibilities is not always rainbows and unicorns.  (That’s probably not very PC of me to say.  Just being real, yo.)  And it’s especially difficult when family is hours away.  Last year, I moped and cried.  A lot.  So much that I took months to mentally prepare for the Christmas craziness this year.  I prayed.  And planned.  And prayed some more.  And, when all was said and done, it was fabulous.  No tears were even shed in the process.  (Except that time we were running 20 minutes behind my stupidly detailed schedule on Christmas Eve.  Let’s not even go there.  But it was just ONCE, you guys!  We’re celebrating the small victories around here, people.)

 Christmas Eve dinner.  While Matt was still at our church services, the kids and I ate Wendy’s in front of a movie.  Some nights, you just do whatcha gotta do.  Even at Christmas.

 6am Christmas morning…

 I seriously love the shocked look on his face here.

Santa brought Mary Grace a microphone this year.  He also brought her a pirate ship.  The ship is very large, and the microphone is very loud, and her mother is starting to wonder if Santa might have had a momentary lapse in judgment.

 Matt took each of the kids shopping for my gifts.  When he asked Carson to choose items that reminded him of me- things that he thought I’d love- this is what he came up with.  The kid knows me pretty well.

Matt was also spot on in his gift-giving.  Some women ask for diamonds.  Others want their entire Amazon reading wishlist.

After a morning of fun, we packed up and headed out for Richmond where the fun was really about to kick into high gear.  There, the festivities were so… festive… that my camera rarely made an appearance.  It was the predictable whirlwind of family, friends, and activity that trips home typically are.  And as much fun as we had, it felt so good yesterday to unpack, undecorate, and to get settled back into some semblance of normalcy around here.  That is, once I ever figure out what “normalcy” looks like.