Takin' it Easy... - My Christmas Recap!

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:27

Ahhhh…

I'm not sure if I'd mentioned it previously, but I am currently on a 12-day holiday vacation from work. I am SO BLESSED to say that every year since I've worked at my job, I've gotten to take an extended break at the end of the year. Having had jobs where getting a day or holiday off was nearly impossible, I don't take it for granted and I look forward to it every year.

While these past 9 days off have flown by, they've been wonderful days filled with family, rest, and fun. Of course, since it's Christmas time, there's been all kinds of festivities and plenty of shopping. Let's recap a little:

December 23rd:

Can I just say: I feel pretty accomplished this year with Christmas shopping!

First of all, I started saving for Christmas in June - which made a world of a difference. Not only that, I had all of my Christmas shopping done and presents wrapped before Christmas Eve? For a last minute girlie like me, this never happens!

That said, I still had a few more Christmas gifts to buy on December 23rd. I made an organized to-do list, got myself ready that morning - looked very cute btw - and headed out into the Christmas madness!

For it to have been a Monday afternoon, the lines were packed with shoppers. So much so that, while waiting in a super long Bath & Body Works line, I'd made up my mind that I was not standing in another line at a store. By the time I got out of that line, I’d searched on Amazon and was able to find a gift for my Grandma - which was the last gift that I'd needed to get- andddd it would be there by that evening! (Gotta love 21st century technology 😊)

Once shopping was done, I was able to finish with a bit of self-care time, which included a solo lunch at Cava (How come nobody told me that the blueberry soda slapped?!) and a trip to the nail salon!

December 24th:

On Christmas Eve, my husband's aunt hosted a get-together that was Ugly Christmas Sweater-themed. Usually, I'm the type that likes to go alllll out with creating ugly sweaters but, in this season, I'm learning to scale things back in instances where it could cause unnecessary stress or take away time from something else that I'd like to do. 

Gratefully, the day before, I'd found the perfect sweater that definitely gave “Christmas Tree”. I decided to add a few ornaments, a red glitter ribbon, a jingling bell necklace, and my reindeer ears. I think it came out super cute!

I had a great time talking and laughing with my husband's side of the family. Not to mention, our aunt threw downnn! Anything you can think of was on the menu 😋 

December 25th - Christmas Day:

Compared to previous Christmases when my family has either stayed in the same house or come together in the morning to unwrap gifts, this Christmas started off on a much slower and quieter note - just me and my husband.

Becoming an adult is strange.

I remember as a kid not being able to contain my excitement to open gifts on Christmas day. These days, I'm much more patient on Christmas morning.

We woke up and my husband made breakfast for the two of us - pancakes, eggs, and bacon - while we watched the movie, Jingle Jangle. Then, we took turns unwrapping our gifts for each other.

I feel so blessed to have a man that goes out of his way each year to make sure Christmas is special for me and I try to do the same for him.

My gifts to him this year:

• Sweaters - he lost lots of weight and needed some new sweaters for the winter

• A coat with a fur hood

• A fondue pot (that Amazon delivered open)

• Gift cards to some of his favorite spots

• A custom boxing championship belt (for my champion!)

(See my gifts from him in the pictures!)

We met up with my family that evening and spent some time together. My mom prepared a yummy lasagna dinner and my sister, Asante, prepared her "family favorite" honeybun cake - which we tore up!

After dinner, came the part of Christmas that I look forward to the most - the games!!

The first game we played, was the Saran Wrap Ball Game that I brought - which I've been bringing for the past 5-6 years, I believe. Using 3-4 rolls of plastic wrap, I create a ball filled with all sorts of goodies - anything from toiletry items to full-sized candy bars to Christmas novelties - and, in the center of the ball, is a grand prize. This year's grand prize: $20 cash.

To play, we gather around a table in a circle. One player unwraps the ball without tearing the plastic wrap. Any items that fall out of the ball during the turn is theirs to keep.

While the ball is being unwrapped, the player to the left rolls a pair of dice. Once the player rolls doubles (a matching pair), they call out "Doubles!". The player must immediately stop unwrapping and pass the ball to the player on the left.

This keeps going until someone finally unwraps and wins the grand prize!

It's always so fun to play and watch the excitement that the game brings, especially when we draw closer to the grand prize. Believe it or not, even though I create the game every year, I usually don't win much. This year, I only won a few pieces of candy and a vanilla bath bomb. Yet and still, it brings me so much joy to create this game for my family to enjoy.

Aside, from the Saran Wrap Ball game, we played Dirty Santa (Rock, Paper, Scissors - style), a few games that my great-aunt created, and UNO Wild. Sooo much fun!

Overall, I've truly enjoyed this holiday season. Even though watching my bank account decrease put me in panic mode a little, I've enjoyed putting smiles on the faces of people that I love the most.

Thank God for this Christmas, my husband and my family...but, most importantly, thank Him for His GREATEST gift!! :)