Merry Christmas!!

I know I am posting a bit late, but Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! It's been a bit hard to sit down at a computer since Xmas, so here's a brief recap and some photos of our day.

This year is the first Christmas I have not celebrated back east and I have to admit I was a bit sad not to be a part of all the snowstorms and great winter weather that was going on last week all over the Eastern seaboard (and truthfully all over the country!!). However, it was the Danisons' turn to have Chris and I there for the 25th and I must say, I was thrilled that it was so chilly in LA for the holiday. It would have just been too weird to be in a tank top or shorts on Christmas Day!


On Christmas Eve, we drove down to Orange County after Chris got out of work (Boo Hilton! He had to work the 24th and the 26th!) and spent the night hanging out with his parents. We played cards and began the gluttony of beer, cookies and other goodies!





Chris and I then went for a walk and took a look at the neighbors' lawn decorations...some were absolutely hideous, and some weren't so bad. here's a brief selection of our "favorites".


On Christmas Day, we woke up for a delicious breakfast of the Danison traditional Christmas casserole (egg, sausage, spinach, cream cheese, tortillas and more cheese. YUM!) and I made our Pillsbury sweet rolls per our Chestna Christmas tradition. We waited until Ron, Camilla and the kids arrived to do stockings and gifts...but man it was hard to wait! There were lots of presents with our names on them :) And I've heard this before, but I must admit it's true...when kids are around, Christmas truly becomes about them and watching them enjoy their gifts...sometimes enjoying standing and jumping off the box more even than the gift inside the box! (see video of Mason below)... and remembering how excited we were as kids to get some of our gifts.

That's not to say I don't enjoy the gifts I still get, but it's just a bit different watching little kids. Madeleine loved her "karoake" machine, though I fear that Camilla will have to hide it b/c it may begin to grate one's nerves after awhile....


Anyways, we unwrapped gifts, ate some more, played cards, watched a movie (LOVE ACTUALLY per Camilla and my request!), had a big family dinner, and then Chris and I headed home to Butch and Sundance since Chris had to work in the morning.



And then the night of the 26th, off to the east coast! More to come on our adventures so far in the disappointingly warm, no-snow zone that is Rhode Island and Connecticut.