Hi everyone! We hope all of you had an incredible holiday. Ours was a little more hectic than usual this year, but we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
My brother, Zen, his wife, Jessie, and their dog, Spoke, came into town from North Carolina for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and we were able to surprise them by showing up early on Christmas Eve (they thought we wouldn’t be meeting them until later in the evening.)
We had a great time spending the early afternoon catching up and snapping some photos in the outrageously warm December weather.
It’s our tradition on my mom’s side of the family to celebrate on Christmas Eve, so we made our way to my grandparents’ house and spent the evening there enjoying dinner, listening to Jeremy and my grandpa play some guitar, and watching the kiddos open gifts.
From there, we made our way back to Fort Wayne to Jeremy’s parents’, since his mom’s birthday is on Christmas Eve and they always have a big shindig to celebrate. For the first time in years, we made it back home and to bed by 2 AM.
And even better, for the first time EVER, we slept in a bit on Christmas Day. It was so nice to have a few minutes to sit and enjoy the holiday coziness of our living room before packing it all away again (it always seems like we’re putting it away just as soon as we’ve gotten it all up, doesn’t it?) Around 9, we made our way back to his parents for gifts and brunch.
Guys. I cherish these moments more and more each year. The kids’ excitement mixed with their early morning grumpies and reactions to gifts are too cute for words.
From Christmas morning at the Weiks’, we headed straight back down to my parents’ for a late lunch and gifts with just the six of us (and the dogs, of course.) I’ll never get over just how thoughtful they all are. Every little gift held so much meaning. We miss having Zen and Jessie in town like crazy!
We ended Christmas this year in the most laid back way we’ve ever done. We plopped down at the dining room table with snacks and board games, and sampled several of the beers Zen and Jeremy had been collecting for the occasion. So many laughs and such great conversation. This Christmas was one for the books and I’ll never forget it!
I hope you’ve had a memorable past few days, too, friends, wherever and however you’ve spent them.
Now, after a day of calm and catching up, it’s time to start planning our New Year’s party. Yikes!
xo, Aly
Photos of Jeremy and I were snapped by Zen and Jessie. Thanks, you two!