Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Note: I've decided to divide my posts about Christmas into two separate stories: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So this is the post about Christmas Eve, and if you wanted to read about Christmas Day, tune in tomorrow at the same bat time, same bat blog!
On Christmas Eve morning, I figured Santa needed a little help so I ran right down to Kohl's and bought myself a new pair of boots. I'd been wanting knee-length dress boots (for church) for years and James, although totally supporting my wishes, felt quivers of fear run down his spine every time he contemplated choosing boots for me. I might as well have asked him to go and pick a swimming suit for me or a foundation undergarment--such was his great trepidation. (And I don't blame him one bit; I feel the same way every time he wants me to buy a power tool or some sort of electronic device.) Anyway, with a "ho ho ho" in my heart and a 30% off coupon in my purse, I popped into Kohl's and within 20 minutes found the perfect pair of boots with just the right amount of class and sass, which I then took home for James to wrap. And that, friends, is how I roll (not to sound like Charlie Sheen, for whom I have no respect).
After my quick shopping spree, we all worked together to get ready for Christmas. James took Bethany out in the stroller for an invigorating walk to deliver the last of the neighbor treats, which she did with great aplomb. In fact, Bethany did such a great job delivering the neighbor treats that she tuckered herself out, as evidenced by her very sudden nap on the stroll home:
And she slept and slept until it was time to go around the corner to Grandma and Grandpa Higham's house, where the five of us celebrated Christmas Eve together. We ate all of our traditional Christmas Eve foods (chips and guacamole, vegetable tray and dip, crackers and cheese ball, "little smokies," etc.) and watched A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott. Now, I should probably admit that we are a VERY opinionated family regarding which version of A Christmas Carol is the best one--and the George C. Scott version wins HANDS DOWN. Trust me, it's the best one. It was made in the 80's and we've been watching it on Christmas Eve as a family since I was in fifth grade. And although we have it on DVD now, I kind of miss that pirated copy we originally recorded off of the T.V. I especially miss the IBM word processor commercials and also the Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson. ("You're the Pepsi generation" sung to the "Billie Jean" tune, remember?)But I digress. The point is:
Get it. Watch it. Love it.
Bethany really liked it. In fact, she's still pretending to be Jacob Marley! Oh--and perhaps this would be an appropriate time to clarify some rumors about my husband. Contrary to what some people may believe, James does NOT hate Tiny Tim. "Hate" is such a strong, unsavory word; Tiny Tim just sort of gets under James's skin a little. And he has a point: I mean, who frequently pops out "And God bless us all, every one!" during the middle of a conversation? I mean, it's a nice sentiment and all, but the timing of his "And God bless us all, every one!" is always so RANDOM. I think that if Tiny Tim is asking for blessings, he should perhaps ask to be blessed with a better sense of conversational timing. But I digress again.
Anyway, after watching our yearly dose of A Christmas Carol (and quoting practically all of the lines while doing so)we played ACTUAL Christmas carols on my mother's chimes. This is another Higham Family Christmas Eve tradition--it's really fun! In fact, we all have our own set of chimes now. We laughed a lot and made tons of mistakes, but in the end we had a few awesome-sounding carols going. It was definitely more challenging this year, since there were so few of us and so each of us had two to three chimes, which proved quite tricky. But we weren't too bad, if I say so myself! (And I do, 'cause this is my blog.)
After the chimes, we said goodbye to my folks and James, Bethany and I headed home. We read the account of the birth of the Savior in Luke 2 and in the Book of Matthew, and Bethany and I used her nativity block characters to act out what Daddy was reading. (We had already read the account in the Book of Mormon for Family Home Evening earlier in the week.)And after the nativity story, Bethany got to open her traditional Christmas Eve present--always new pajamas:
And this year, we actually got her a nightgown instead of "jammies." She LOVES her new nightgown--it makes her feel like Lucy Penvensie from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Here she is, modeling:
Incidentally, I got a new nightgown too--which is perfectly modest and everything--but I lack the confidence it takes to launch a picture of myself in a nightgown into cyberspace! Anyway, we then spread "reindeer food" all over the front lawn so that Santa's team could have a quick snack, and then we all got into the car and drove around to see the Christmas lights while listening to The Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean. Those songs always bring back such special memories--when James and I were dating and in "la-la love" (as my sister-in-law Tracee would say) we sang in The Forgotten Carols choir when Michael McLean did his Logan show. (Actually, we did that two years in a row.) So it's extra magical for us to hear and sing along with the songs--especially while watching pretty Christmas lights. We were hoping the drive would help mellow Bethany out so she'd fall asleep easily when we got home, and I really do think it helped! And by the way, James and I are still in "la-la love." ;)
Anyway, when we got home we put Bethany to bed and she quickly fell fast asleep. No doubt that "visions of sugar plums" would have danced in her head if she only knew what a sugar plum was, which she doesn't. She probably had visions of Scooby-Doo fruit snacks in her head, but that doesn't sound nearly so fanciful. Anyway, after making sure she was asleep, James and I whipped out our Santa caps and got to work:
(At our house, Santa fills the stockings and then leaves unwrapped gifts on the couch next to the stockings. The presents from "Mom and Dad" are wrapped and under the tree.) Anyway, after everything was ready and set for the next morning, we went to bed ourselves and "settled down for a long winter's nap." And that's where I leave you, my friends--on the very dramatic cliff-hanger of James and I falling asleep, exhausted.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
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