Twas the night before Christmas...

For the first year ever the Lowe Family Circus was home alone on Christmas Eve. 

It was magical!

During the day we ran errands and planned our menu (scallops,  lobster tail, Pioneer Woman's duchess potatoes, iceburg lettuce with homemade ranch dressing, and chocolate peppermint cookies).

We delivered gifts to neighbors we are SODA-lighted to have.

Get it? 

They said it was SODA-licious they drank it all within a few days!

They are so kind!

And gifted us back!

We put together Lily's Counting book for Nanna and Papa.
Nanna requested a homemade book and Lily delivered.

I will share an excerpt,
One frog, in a pond, two little flowers that were Lily flowers...

While Charlotte napped, Lily and I painted our nails and sipped on wine.  Pinot Noir for me, sparkling Welch's grape for her.

We thought about our family and friends and voted on our favorite Christmas card.  As you can see we are blessed as the rows of cards are 3 deep and falling down daily. 

The whole season I have been working on getting a good picture of our homemade stockings and was unsuccessful.  They are truly wonderful, huge and handknit by my Great Aunt Mae. 
Too long for the fireplace, we hang them on the stairs instead.
Here is photo that does not begin to show their awesome-ness, but gives you an idea.

We made cookies for Santa with Daddy, once C woke up

I printed off carols and we sang together around the tree.  We used to do this at my Grandma Lensmires, as my Godmother led us with her guitar and I wanted to carry the tradition to my own family.  To be honest I had a hard time getting through the songs as I was crying with both joy and grief (tis the season, right?). 

I should have let my heart be light, but instead I was all boo-hooing over "through the years we all we be together...if the Fates allow..."

Because I am missing some very dear friends this holiday season and feeling both gratitude for my family and hesistant about the unexpected that the future can bring.  Mostly, I know there are families missing loved ones even more than me this year.

(my deepest sympathy is with you, and our loved ones are never forgotten and always remembered.)

A bit of fresh air snapped me out of it.  I love how Lily flittered and skipped and twirled her Reindeer Food about.

I love, even more, perhaps, how Charlotte lined her sugar cubes in an orderly line, leading the Reindeer right to our front door.

In addition to our newly added Christmas songs together, we have a few seasoned traditions.  The oldest is that Darin and I gift each other with a letter for Christmas.  We have done this since our first Christmas together when we were in college and didn't have any money for gifts.  We have continued this tradition to date.  We always forget to do it on the day of, and ask if the other did it (no) and we always quickly write down our thoughts the same day we will open them.  Darin had his letter typed and saved, but it was a bit of a push with lots of anxiety (note Lily's face) getting it to print on our new printer in the nick of time, as to not disappoint me.

We left cookies, milk, and a letter for Santa.

Here is the letter Lily had me dictate.  If you can read it, awesome.  If not, I will tell you it is hilarious.  Apparently, Dad wants Bear underpants, Mom wants some privacy, Lily wants a TV in her room, she doesn't need a new room, she has that covered, and Charlotte wants a new boyfriend.

Yes, I have this tucked away to save forever.

Our other tradition is to open 2 gifts on Christmas Eve.  We each get a new pair of pj's and a book.  I thought it would be perfectly corny to set up the timer on the camera with us in our new pj's, holding our books.  This was all for you (3) friends!

We spent the rest of the evening reading our books. 

The happiest, coziest moment of all times, unless of course I have said that before.

Next it was time for C to go to bed.  Daddy took her.  In the meantime, Lily created a masterplan to catch Old, Old, St. Nick (as she calls him).

Dad will stay awake all night, reading his book on the bed of a couch she made for him like this...

Lily and I will sleep in her room with the blinds open and flashlights in our hands to spot him when the sleigh pulls in and yell to Dad, just in case he fell asleep.

So I put Lily to bed with a flashlight, the blinds open and a promise to come sleep with her when I was done with my clean up.

And Darin and I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And it was maybe hours.

I had to drink so much wine to kill the wait time!

And finally the time was right...I ran to the basement and brought up the gifts and filled the stockings while Darin stood guard at the bottom of the stairs.

Then D, went out to clean up the Reindeer Food, while I stood guard (so nervous I was shaking) at the bottom of the stairs.

He came in and we high fived, giggled, cuddled and I went to bed, as promised with a flashlight in Lily's room. 

When she woke up she ran to ask Dad if he saw Santa, I held my breath wondering what he would say.

And like magic he said "just a glimpse, I fell asleep and then heard a jingle bell, and in a flash he was up the fireplace, I barely got a glimpse!"

I looked at Lily in hesitation and she smiled and nodded and said.

"Yes, Dad, I know.  That is just how it was when I saw the shadow of his sleigh."

My heart begins to sing.

Lily has given me so many clues that she doesn't believe.

I fear she found her gifts.

She KNOWS the Santa's with the fake beards are not real.

I thought the magic was over.

Thank God, I was WRONG.

I have never been so happy to be so wrong in my whole life!

Hope you had yourself a Merry Little Christmas too!