Christmas 2009

Our first tea party - Mary loves Yogi Immunity Defense tea!



Opening gifts

We had a very nice Christmas Day - ideal, if you ask me.
(Reminder: Christmas ain't over yet, Catholics.)
We left Santa two cookies we made and some milk and left the reindeer some lettuce. In the morning, we found a thank you note Santa left and all the reindeer signed it, too!
We had to wake Mary up at about 9AM and she had fun opening her presents. Santa brought Mary a tea set and some fun things for the stocking. Aunt Vicky and Uncle Jon sent two adorable outfits and some crayons you can use on the tub. They also sent a 'just-add-water' volcano that erupted and spewed forth --- a dinosaur!
Aunt Chris and Uncle Andy sent lots of tiny little animals (which we both love playing with!) and a sugar cookie kit. Aunt Alice and Uncle Steve sent the cutest pajamas ever, which Mary is wearing in the Christmas morning pictures. (They also sent a snowman outfit which Mary calls her Frosty Outfit.)
Keeping in mind that December 25th is not actually Mary's birthday and wishing to raise her to understand that Christmas is not about us and that, duh, Jesus should get presents before anybody gets presents, we gave a donation to Food for the Poor which was doubled by an anonymous donor. Hooray for anonymous!

We had a nice relaxing morning and went to 12:30 Mass, which was very nice. Mary got to finally see Baby Jesus in the creche and there was also a relic of the Manger for veneration.

After Mass we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant and had traditional Christmas sushi.
(Well, if we do it again next year it'll be a tradition.)

There was no stress, no headache, and friends, that's how Christmas Day should be to the greatest extent possible. (I understand that if you have six kids under age six -- I'm talkin' to you, Mom - things might get hectic, but the chaos should never overwhelm the solemnity of the day.)
December 25th is a holy day - try your best to make room for sacred silence and reflection.

Merry Christmas, everyone!


Our Savior, dearly-beloved, is born today: let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness when we are keeping the birthday of Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord, the Destroyer of sin and death, finds no one free of blame so does He come to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life.

-From a Pope St. Leo the Great Christmas Homily that is always read before Midnight Mass at St. John Cantius and which always manages to make my allergies act up