December 2015: Christmas and New Year's

On Christmas morning we started opening stockings and presents at a very civilized 8 a.m. -- with the departure of belief in Santa I guess there's the advent of self-control and ability to sleep even on Christmas! Wendy actually read in her room until 8, and we had to wake Fer up to get the festivities started.

After presents we enjoyed a holiday breakfast and some down time before packing up to head to Tivoli for Christmas dinner, this year at the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck.

The day after Christmas we continued the celebration with our usual Boxing Day brunch and gift exchange, including the Yankee Swap for the adults:

We stayed in Tivoli until the 27th, then came home to South Orange for 2 nights before heading down to Virginia to see the Gosas and celebrate New Year's Eve. We spent time relaxing and also went for a walk at a nearby nature center.

And for the first time we all stayed up til midnight on New Year's Eve! Happy New Year!!

December 2015: Holiday Season

The girls were thrilled with a phone upgrade as an early Xmas present, and we were relieved to have the anticipation of the "big present" out of the way!

We made it out to West Windsor before the seasonal busy-ness set in and took a walk with Jasper along a rail trail followed by pancakes at the local PJ's there:

We decorated the church at Church Decorating Night:

We had our by now "traditional" holiday weekend with Apple and Milli -- we served together at the FPT soup kitchen, decorated the tree, made gingerbread houses, went to a show at the Paper Mill playhouse, and went Christmas caroling!

Wendy's Girl Scout troop held a holiday bake sale in South Orange and also volunteered at a local daycare:

The Christmas pageant was a lot of fun (Wendy as Kid 4, Fer as Mary) and coincidentally, 5 out of 6 cousins on the Lankenau side were in pageants on the same day!

We enjoyed another tradition: holiday cooking baking!

And on December 23 Tia B and Uncle El arrived and the countdown to Christmas began! We spent some time relaxing at home and then went out for a special dinner at a Greek restaurant in nearby Livingston:

On Christmas Eve day we went to the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden:

Afterwards we came back home for a festive dinner before church, and the first present of Christmas (second, actually, if you count the phones):

And then, off to bed to wait for Santa! No believers any more, but I still enjoy continuing the traditions. Cookies and milk were left out, and Santa left a letter in return (this year from Mrs. Claus):

Dear Fer and Wendy,

Merry Christmas! Santa and I love you so much and we are so proud of both of you and how much you have grown up this past year.

Fer, we were so happy to see you having fun this past year with your friends and we are so proud of your transition to your new school and to high school! Wendy, you had a great year too with lots of fun times with all your friends and we have especially loved seeing how you have matured as a student in 7th grade. But our favorite thing of all is to see you with your parents enjoying life together as a family. Pancakes anyone?!?

Thank you for the cookies and milk! All the reindeer say hello to Jasper!!

Much love,
MRS. CLAUS