Christmas Season 2019

Beginning in mid-fall life became quite trying for our family due to a few continuing challenges that are out of our control to a large degree.  Everyone at home is healthy and doing well, but some of those who are supposed to support us externally have turned into tremendous stressors.

With this pressure taking physical and emotional tolls, we wanted to keep our 2019 holidays even smaller than usual and decided to follow only our most favorite traditions this month: the Christmas party at CCHMC, St. Nick's Day, the Festival of Lights at the zoo, our Christmas Eve picnic, and two family gatherings.  We didn't decorate gingerbread houses, sent no Christmas packages and fewer cards, didn't have a big cookie baking day, and we didn't wrap any of the presents. The single thing we did more of this year was decorating because Emilia absolutely adores the sparkle of this season, so we let her take the lead and choose for all of us how to deck our halls.  Among other things, she selected this sign and asked that lots of lights be put up.

Every time there were suitable clearance flowers at my grocery store, I updated this bouquet in the dining room:

CCHMC Holiday Party

Christmas Day at home with just the five of us was much more challenging than expected for each of our kids in their own way.  It was a struggle to get from waking up to bedtime, but we got through it together and were able to follow with a much more peaceful Boxing Day.  

Christmas Eve Picnic

"Wrapped" and ready to go

Post-Holiday brunch with cousins - the only event we hosted

And after all of this excitement plus a Christmas dinner at Grandpa's house, we just needed to take a day to breathe and rest and reset which, regretfully, meant skipping out on Cousin James' birthday party.  Being the super sweet boy that he is we know he understands.

And now that's a wrap for Christmas 2019.