It's the most wonderful time of the year

So, how about my triumphant return to blogging?!  HA!  One post a month does not a triumphant return make, but that's all I've got my friends.  I write in my head all the time but when it comes to getting it on the computer, life ends up happening and I never get around to it.  Oh well, let's talk Christmas!

This is the first year that Sofia really gets what's going on, and despite my Santa misgivings, Sofia has decided all on her own that Santa is real and we're going all in.  I still won't do the damn Elf on the Shelf, but for now I won't burst her bubble with Santa.  It's actually really interesting because neither Drew nor I have even really talked about Santa, which goes to show you the power of influence that school has on kids, even this young.  She already knows that Santa brings presents on his 'sled' and you have to go to sleep for it to happen.  We'll go with it for now, but I still have my misgivings.

This is the first year that I really got into decorating the house and I have to say, it was so validating to have Sofia get excited about all the details in the house.

I bought some red seat cushions for our porch furniture and sewed green pillow covers and switched out the bow on the door wreath and it looked so festive!

Remember Andrea's crib skirt fabric?  That was back when I didn't know how to do sewing math and if something called for one yard, I bought eight yards just to be safe.  Therefore,  I have a TON of leftover fabric and the burlap and gold was just right to make a runner for the dining room table.  I cut it to length, hot glued the hems and I had a nice free table runner!  I found the red sparkly candles at Marshall's and Sofia LOVED them.  The early morning light hit them just right and the sparkles made her day.  "Mom!  Check out these candles!"  

The girls each had gingerbread houses this year and I nearly had a heart attack because they kept wanting to eat the candies and all I could think about were the toxic dyes and preservatives and I must have said "Not for eating!!" a million times.  Next year I'm making my own gingerbread houses.  I think every parent has their one thing they go nuts over, and mine is definitely food.  I'm not as neurotic over other stuff, but food will put me over the edge.

Anyway, when I was single and living in an apartment, this was my Christmas tree and it sat on my dining room table.  It plays We Wish You a Merry Christmas and every day I'd put another ornament on the tree.  Now, it's on our dining room table and it's *my* older daughter who's putting the daily ornament on the little tree.  So cool, right!

ALSO, check it!  I sewed those placemats!  They were such a festive addition to the house and I'm so looking forward to using them every year; I even put a decorative border around them and everything!  Of course, it's still me we're talking about here so they're not perfect rectangles and the decorative border isn't straight but they'll do!

I have a crap-ton of jars of various sizes so I went to Target and got some sequin trim and decorative garland and made a little centerpiece thing and put some little candles inside; it took me about ten minutes and I love how it turned out.  I went to a gift exchange in the neighborhood and came home with the Santa mugs and the girls promptly claimed them and thoroughly enjoyed having hot chocolate in *their* Santa mugs.

Also, here's Santa on a plate.

Why did I get two mugs but only one plate at the gift exchange?

I was trying to get them to say cheese, 

but it looks more like an 'arrgh.'

This is also the first year we've had actual stockings.  I got them from Pottery Barn and they had S, M, L and XL.  The mediums looked too small so I went ahead and got the large ones and when they came they were enormous!  However, they're growing on me and I think they go well in the living room.

They are huge though; It's almost as big as Sofia!

My sofa pillows got the festive treatment too!  I have one big pillow and that got the green pillow cover and the other three small ones got the red and cream chevron.  I'd intended to use the red and white striped fabric but next to the existing cream pillows and throws, the white made the cream look dirty.  So those became the placemats and the chevron worked out perfectly.  

Christmas cards are my absolute most favorite thing about Christmas.  I love everything about them and I get a little thrill every time I got one in the mail.  I have to find our earlier ones, but my plan is to decorate our stairs with our yearly cards.  

Christmas morning was awesome.  The girls loved their presents and seeing the look on their faces was priceless.

I live for matching Christmas pjs.

I wanted the girls to get presents for each other and of course right now, it's more of a thing for Sofia than Andrea and I'm so proud of Sofia because if you ask her what Christmas is about, she'll tell you Christmas is about giving.  Now, picking out the gift for her sister was a bit rocky because I know she would have liked it for herself, hence the identical Pup Pads.  But it was still sweet to see them give their gifts to each other and I hope they'll keep it up as they get older.

Now if we're being honest here, I'm quite glad the holidays are over.  There were a ton of parties and I went out more this month than I have since the kids were born and I do NOT have the stamina for that!  I'm exhausted!  Not to mention, Drew was gone for the majority of the month so all the shopping and decorating and Christmas concerts and going to see lights and Disney on Ice and school parties and cookie exchanges and baking and cooking and staying up late and wrapping and wrapping and wrapping ALLLLL fell on my shoulders.  I need a nap.  But as stressed out as I was, it was truly worth it and I know that's super cliche, but it really was.  The girls had a wonderful time and it filled my heart to the brim to see their faces and watch them really get the magic of Christmas.

It was a good Christmas and it's been a good year; I hope that you can say the same and I hope that next year is even better!