Our Christmas

was cozy and fun! We have a tradition of hosting Christmas Eve dinner at our house every year. This year I made a simple but hearty menu for fifteen that included roasted leg of lamb, parmesan risotto, minted carrots, baked brie en croute, roasted pototoes and the BEST home-made bread pudding you've ever had in your life. Chris and I then rounded out the night with my favorite tradition: sipping champagne and playing Santa. Our kids are such night-owls though, we had to stay up until 2:00 am to safely bring out the goods. Christmas this year wasn't huge, and I am totally OK with that. I put a lot of thought into what we bought for each boy, made a list, checked it twice and ordered 90% of it online :-) The older I get (and the more kids I have) the more "actual" shopping gives me major anxiety! They seemed pleased with their gifts, and it was really fun that Owen was actually excited for Santa to come this year and understood what was going on. All he wanted was a garbage truck for Christmas (the kid has always had a weird penchant for garbage cans, gargage trucks) and he got it. And that was all he played with :-) I don't think he even noticed that he HAD other gifts to open until about an hour later. Jack's big gift was a scooter that makes sparks when you hit the brakes. But his favorite gift was the practical joke set he got. What was I thinking?! We then hopped from my parents' house (where we had smoked salmon, cheese grits and mimosas, my fave!) to my in-laws where we ate AGAIN, home for naps, then back over to my rents for the best steaks I've ever had in my life. We went home sleepy and full, the perfect ending to the perfect day. And the perfect way to round out a wonderful year!

(taken with the Shake It Photo iPhone app)