It's been a long time since I enjoyed Christmas as much as I did this year. Everything just seemed perfect. For starters, Kory and I drove across the country as we traditionally do, simply so our dog doesn't have to suffer in the cargo hold of an airplane. Kory thought it would be a good idea if, instead of stopping for the night in a hotel, we just pull over and nap when necessary. Since he was the primary driver, I went along with whatever he desired. The first day, Saturday, he drove 17 hours straight, napped for 4 and finished out the final 8 hours on Sunday. We certainly got to Pennsylvania a lot quicker than previous trips. The weather was ideal. There wasn't a speck of snow or glisten of ice until we got to Ohio. It was like a scene from White Christmas. And the best part... the roads were clear and dry - we couldn't have asked for a more amazing Christmas Welcome as we were nearing our destination!
We got the festivities rolling immediately. Kory's niece and nephew (Emma and Aramy) were having their kindergarten Christmas play the following morning. What a way to kick start the holiday fun with our families! It was absolutely adorable to say the least! The singing and dancing was enough to put anyone in a Christmas spirit! To top it off, Kassy, Kory's youngest big sister, is substituting for the Punxsy Elementary music teacher so she was in charge of putting the whole program together for all of the schools. It turned out wonderfully and it was awesome to see her in action! Following the Christmas play, we got to join Kory's Aunt Dee, cousin Chanti, and Kassy for lunch! What a fabulous first day!
Because Kory's family chose to celebrate Christmas on the 26th instead of the 24th this year, Kory so "generously" volunteered for he and I to take care of all of the Christmas Eve cooking and planning this year for my family. Traditionally, we don't have a sit down dinner because the kitchen is occupied with preparing Christmas dinner. So keeping with the norm, Kory and I prepared lots of snack and hors d'oeuvres. My doll of a little brother made the most amazing spiral ham that accented our veggie trays and dips perfectly! That evening we all played games and did some last minute wrapping. My mom and I got to have some one-on-one time. She reiterated how incredibly happy my family is to welcome Kory into our family. I can see it in the most subtle interactions but it was still wonderful to hear from my mom! And similar to Thanksgiving, my family constantly reminded us that this time next year, Kory and I will be married. This reality is still a challenge for me to believe... but I am so excited!
Because most of us stayed up until 3 am reminiscing, baking and wrapping gifts, Christmas morning we all slept in. I am notorious for waking up at the crack of dawn and insisting everyone "rise and shine." I believe last year my dad responded to my childlike enthusiasm with, "Did mama forget to inform you that Santa doesn't deliver to 24 year olds?" Contrary to what everyone expected, this year I wanted nothing more than sleep. I must be getting old or maybe after 25 Christmases I realized that everything looks just the same at 9 am as compared to 5 am. When we finally got around to getting everyone up and equipped with an XL cup of coffee it was nearly 11 o'clock! Luckily this year we changed things up at the Rosenberger house - a lot.
We agreed that within our family we would draw names to make gifts and draw an additional name to buy a gift. It turned out to be a great success. The gift opening on Christmas morning took on a whole new meaning. Realizing that the presents were truly homemade gifts from the heart made it feel like we'd finally figured out how to celebrate to maximize the meaning of the holiday. While we loved it, my parents struggled a bit with only having to purchase a couple of things. I think they will adjust! Needless to say, we will doing the same thing next year. Not only do we save hundreds of dollars by avoiding the materialistic chaos, but the gifts have more meaning than money could buy. Kory and I have already agreed that this is a concept we'd like to incorporate in our own family Christmases one day.
For lunch we headed to the Frostburgh Hall - for the annual Blose Family Christmas. This is another tradition I look so forward to each year! Kory's family is hilarious and unfortunately living so far away we don't get to see nearly as much of them as we'd like to. This is an event where you're guaranteed to laugh and have a wonderful time. This year it seemed unusually empty but turned out to be a great time as always!
After lunch we ate our third meal of the day back at my parents' house. By the end of the day, we were all very content in our food comas, in front of the television.
As I noted previously, Kory's family chose to celebrate Christmas with their mom the day after Christmas this year. It turned out to be a great idea. I love having something to look forward to after Christmas so I especially enjoyed this swap.
Marilyn, Kory's mom, is notorious for her amazing food and this Christmas celebration was nothing short of incredible! It's always tough to save a little room for dessert and this experience was no different... though stuffed to the max with prime rib and mashed potatos, I managed to eat my weight in Marilyn's delectable desserts! Yum!
Following dinner we opened our gifts. Like my family, we also exchange gifts within Kory's immediate family. What a joy it is. Watching the little kids tear open their packages and seeing their eyes light up when the prize is revealed is priceless. An extra special change this year was that all of Kory's nieces and nephews were calling me "Aunt Sara!" My heart melted each and every time I heard it! I am so blessed to be marrying into a family full of awesome kids that I get to watch grow up!
For every reason imaginable, this Christmas was the best ever... and I expect next year will be even better! :)
