Capturing Christmas

This year The Graham Family had a very Merry Christmas! It was perfect. We had such a great time relaxing, enjoying time together and playing with Samuel's new toys. It was also the 1st time we have celebrated without any other family members. I was worried that it might not feel as special without our parents or other relatives around, but it was actually nice to be able to plan the day exactly how we wanted.

We opened gifts throughout the day so Samuel wouldn't be overwhelmed. We also had a nice meal in the early afternoon, most of which I prepared a day ahead of time (since Allen was on alert anyway) so we wouldnt have to cook on the holiday. We just popped the turkey in the roaster that morning and pulled everything else out of fridge to heat. It was so much less stressful that way.

Thanks to Allen, who very wisely purchased a tripod prior to Christmas Day, we were able to set up our digital and video cameras so we could capture every moment on film. This will be a cherished Christmas in our family memories and I know I will treasure our footage. Here are some highlights:





Samuel could hardly contain his excitement as he came down the stairs and saw what Santa had brought. He noticed his bus right away and was smiling the whole way down - he couldn't wait to climb on! We also had a couple of gifts from Grandpa Sam unwrapped; his dustpan, broom and wheelbarrow. He held on to the dustpan the whole time and kept "dusting" the slide!













About the only thing that wasn't perfect about our day was the fruitcake I made. I prepared it two weeks earlier and basted it with rum every two days (just as Alton Brown from the Food Network instructed). Unfortunately, it tasted like it should be served at a bar in South Padre during Spring Break. We didn't feel like getting a buzz off our breakfast, so we made eggs and bacon instead.



Next, we sat down together and opened our stockings. Mine was full of all kinds of goodies including The Sims 3 for Xbox, a pair of silver hoop earrings and new make-up. Allen got a couple new movies, a Zombie dice game and some of his favorite candies. Samuel's stocking was full of lots of exciting things but his favorite things were his new books, Thomas trains and spiky light-up ball.













We opened just a few gifts under the tree before getting dressed. Samuel was especially interested in his new book from Great MaMaw, "Everyone Poops!"



After we were ready for the day we opened some more gifts. Samuel was really excited to meet his new puppy, Snoopy! He took him for a walk all over the house.





Nana and Grandpa got Samuel a copy of his favorite movie, Toy Story 3, complete with Buzz Lightyear action figure. It is the first, and only, movie he has sat entirely through in the theater (and we have tried several).



Samuel and I played "bus driver" while we waited for the turkey to finish cooking.





Of all the gifts Allen and I have ever received, this is our very favorite....



Time to eat!



Samuel wanted seconds.



Samuel wasn't quite sure what to think of Dance Star Mickey from Grandpa Sam. At first he was a little scared, but they made up pretty fast!





More books from Great Grandpa and Grandma Graham. Samuel loves when we read with him!





I got an awesome vintage style apron to wear when I'm cookin' up a storm in the kitchen. I guess I really am a "happy little homemaker" now!



By the end of the day Samuel was a pro at opening gifts. He tore the paper right off of his Radio Flyer tricycle from Aunt Julia!





After a few family pictures we took our little babe upstairs for a bath and nite-nite. He was exhausted from all the excitement! Allen and I spent the rest of the evening assembling toys and playing some of his new board games.





It's a wonderful life at the Graham house!

Added Bonus: a candid of Allen trying to position the tripod and set up the camera timer.

'Twas the Night Before

For me, Christmas is all about traditions. During the five Christmas that we have been married, Allen and I have shared our family traditions with one another and created new ones of our own. It is so exciting to now be able to share these traditions with Samuel.





A tradition from my mother's side of the family that we are continuing is to make some type of soup or stew on Christmas Eve. The idea is to have something warm, hearty and easy to prepare. The last few years we have made Cock-a-Leekie soup to honor Allen's Scottish heritage. Unfortunately, it is very time consuming. This year I decided to just make chili. Our primary goal for the holiday is to not spend it slaving away in the kitchen. We want to relax, enjoy time as a family and play with Samuel.

Another tradition that we retained is something that both of our families practiced. Each child opens one gift under the tree before heading off to bed. I pulled out three small gifts for Samuel and let him choose which one he wanted to open. He picked the Leap Frog Guitar, probably because the wrapping paper was the crunchiest. He had a great time ripping off the paper and was really anxious for me to get his new toy out of the box. I demonstrated how to rock out on the guitar and then showed him all of the buttons he could push to make it sing songs.










I made my favorite Christmas cookies, oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip, just for Santa. I poured a glass of milk and placed three cookies on a plate. Samuel was a big helper and carried the plate into the foyer so we could leave it on the curio by the tree. He made it the whole way and then decided to "taste test" Santa's cookies.



A tradition that my mom and I shared was for her to read me the "Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. Last year, for Samuel's first Christmas, she brought me my childhood copy of the story which was given to me by my Aunt Deb & Uncle Dave in 1982. Reading from the book that I had as a child makes this tradition even more special. Allen and I also read a few other Christmas stories with Samuel. Allen read him "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which has always been one of my favorites. He also read him The Christmas Story from his Beginner Bible. That was something we did in my family too.







Visions of sugarplums are dancing in his head.



Once Samuel was down for the night, Allen (a.k.a. Santa's Helper) got busy finishing the climb-on school bus, Samuel's gift from Jolly St. Nick. In my family and Allen's, Santa gifts were always left under the tree unwrapped and out of the boxes. We didn't think to assemble his Santa gift last year since he was so small and it was a mistake! Allen spent half the day putting together a Baby Einstein activity jumper. We won't make that mistake again! Besides, we remember how much fun it was to come out to the living room and have toys ready to be played with. While Dad worked on the bus, I busied myself stuffing the stockings for Samuel and Allen.











Allen and I finished our Christmas Eve by enjoying homemade cocoa (a gift from our neighbors) and a few Christmas cookies for ourselves. We snuggled on the couch and watched one of our favorite holiday movies, "Scrooged," while we waited to hear sleigh bells and hoof-steps on the roof.