Christmas: A Week in Pictures

This is the first day in over a week that I’ve actually opened my laptop, and I must say it’s been a really lovely holiday break. Will and I spent Christmas with his family in Northern California, and I hope I’m not alone in saying a break from our holiday break is now in order!

We had a lively week filled with family activities — Christmas Eve with all the cousins, Christmas Day with our immediate family, a day-after dinner with my siblings-in-law, then a holiday block party at my mother-in-law’s house on Mount Tamalpais. That’s six full days of decorating, wrapping, unwrapping, prepping, cooking, eating, drinking, and more eating with dozens of friends and family I only get to see a couple times a year… and I am wiped. out. In the most heartwarming way!

Sprout (now 29 weeks and cooking along) has been kicking up a storm thanks to all the Christmas cookies I’ve been sampling! I’m not even a sweets person, normally, but who can turn down all that confectionery made in the name of Christmas spirit?

Despite the gluttony of the holiday, I really love the generations-old traditions that have held steadfast in my husband’s family. Christmas morning started with a beautiful blue day on Mount Tam, a pleasantly surprising scene as it had been stormy and gloomy in the days leading up.

Since we’d all stayed up late the night before, we didn’t begin the annual ritual until well past noon: a homemade brunch of eggs benedict and cocktails (this year, it was gin fizzes), followed by a few hours of lazing around the fireplace while each one of us took our turn opening a gift. We were supposed to shine gifts altogether this year, but it seems none of us got the memo!

We ran out of time before we had to start making dinner, so the stockings were saved for the next night… again, a leisurely (and boozy) tradition whereby each person unwrapped a gift while the rest of us ooh’ed and ahh’ed. This went on and on in a circle until there were no more gifts to unwrap. It could seriously stretch into the night if we didn’t have dinner getting cold on the table! With a new member in the family next Christmas, we’re going to have to find a way to speed things up a bit… or resign ourselves to the fact that we’ll need to start at sunrise!

After a very full week, Will and I made it home yesterday with the intention of ringing in the New Year quietly. We’re looking forward to spending January 1 outside, somewhere somehow, and are hoping the next storm will be generous with snow so we can sneak in a getaway to the mountains midweek.

January is already blazing by between my baby showers and a road trip to Oregon, and I’m in disbelief at how quickly 2016 is shaping up. Good things are going to be happening on many fronts, and I’m so excited to see this next year unfold.

Happy early weekend, friends! I hope your holidays have been merry and bright, and your New Year is filled with boundless hope and joy!