A Simple Christmas

We're a fairly large family and usually have so much going on that it makes my head spin...for days! With five kids, one of them with children of his own now, our household fills up quickly when we have everyone over. Normally, Christmas at our house is a very noisy production with lots and lots and lots of wrapping paper! And food.

But, this year, four of our five kids were spending Christmas somewhere else. We had only one child at home this year and let me tell you, it was a very strange feeling. Normally, Santa only brings a certain amount of gifts for each child - usually no more than 10 (one big gift and several smaller ones). This year, those 10 gifts for the one child looked rather slim under the tree. So she ended up with 15, I think. We had to remind ourselves that Christmas is not just about getting presents - it's about keeping Christ in it!

So, we decided to keep it simple this year. On Christmas Eve, we made cookies for Santa.

We got up at 8am to open gifts, then did nothing all day long but play with our child's new toys. One of our other children (Zach) and his family came over for dinner. Dinner consisted of Swedish meatballs over pasta, caesar salad (from a bag), Steamer veggies, and french bread. Dessert was a pre-made coconut cake with egg nog. It took me less than 30 minutes to make dinner.

My husband was so pleased that we're doing it again next year! We so enjoyed just being able to slow down and spend some quality time with our family rather than being in the kitchen for hours and hours and then doing piles of dishes and before you know it, the day is gone.

I have to say, there is something very special about having a very simple Christmas.

I hope all of you were able to spend some quality time with your families!

Dana