Peterson Christmas

Fun Christmastime 2019

The holiday season is so fun, especially when you have kiddos all around you. Christmas actually started for our family on Christmas Eve. Every year we always go to my sister’s house on Christmas Eve for an evening filled with finger foods, games and lots of laughter! This year we played “Spoons” and “Uno Attack”, which both are super fun! My Bro-in-law made the BEST finger food dish there (I could not stop myself from eating as many of them as I could…), which consisted of Ritz Crackers and Cream Cheese topped with sauteed Shrimp with Garlic! Oh, let me tell you…it was amazing! Best snack ever!

After we got home from my Sister’s house, we let our kiddos open their Christmas Stockings. They were filled with fun little things, candy canes and Dutch Bros gift cards. They loved it! Then they all got into their matching pajamas (well, except for Megan cause she couldn’t find hers…) and I whipped out my camera and took some fun pictures of them in front of the Christmas tree and opening their stockings. Our little dog, Bella, even got in on the action too! We tried to get our big dog, Brody, in on the fun, but he’s just too hyper and couldn’t sit still. Haha! Then it was off to bed for the kiddos cause we KNEW they were going to be up early the next morning… And in the process of tucking them all in, Mandy found Meg’s matching pajamas stuffed into her bed… HA! All well, maybe next year I can get them all matching. Hehe!

Surprisingly, it was my brother-in-law, niece, and nephew that woke us up Christmas morning! Our kiddos were still snoozing. But not for long…after they arrived we started the coffee (a must-have on Christmas morning!) and they all were soon up and bouncing off the walls with excitement. The gift opening started right around 7 AM. They all tore into those presents and soon my living room floor was filled with gift wrappings, boxes and lots of toys! It’s so much fun to watch the kids. Takes me back to my childhood and now I totally understand how my parents felt at Christmas. It’s about the kids! And about remembering/teaching our kids about the birth and resurrection of Jesus!

We then started making breakfast and soon my parents joined us and my sister, bro-in-law, and nephew and Matt’s mom too. Then another round of present opening began! Literally my living room floor was almost knee-deep in wrapping paper! It was such a great time! Then the kiddos start playing with all their fun things as the adults drank more coffee and started getting the preparations done for Christmas Dinner. This year Matt BBQed Tri-Tip and Chicken instead of doing a ham, like we’ve done in previous years. It was a huge hit! Afterwards, we played Scattergories and then Spoons again! The kids and the guys also played a Baja racing game on the PS4. Everywhere in my house was nothing good times and family! Love it!

There was just one part of the day that had me in tears. The ending of the day. For those of you who deal with split family situations and visitation schedules, you will understand! When the kids have to leave, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially on Holidays. But I don’t want to leave you with the feeling of sadness, especially during the Christmas Season. What I’d like to do instead is encourage those who have to deal with the same things we do. Yes, it’s hard. But try to think about the positive things and all those precious moments you have with your kiddos. Cherish them! And thank God for those moments every day! And yes, it may be easier said than done…but know that you are not alone and I hope you will find comfort in knowing that fact!

I would love to hear how your Christmas went! Drop me a comment below!

Love, Jen