Christmas day is usually pretty laid back at my parent's house.
Santa still comes and visits baby bro and I. Yep we are those kids....still.
Late Christmas Eve, after the extended family leaves us for the night, just the 4 of us exchange presents. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Not because of the gifts, but the intimacy and love surrounding those moments when it is just daddo, mama, baby bro and myself.
The night is never complete until my dad says his famous words. "Guys, it's been a good Christmas" and my brother would always say as a little boy, "yeah dad - and santa hasn't even came yet"
It has always, always just been the 4 of us.
Last year, KR is the only other person to ever be part of that tradition. And I hope he is the only one that ever will be. Sorry little bro - you aren't allowed to ever get married or engaged. Your mama and I just cant take it.
We typically spend Christmas day in our PJs eating leftovers and playing with all our new toys. Santa doesn't wrap our "santa" presents and my brother and I don't enter the living room without waking the other up first. It's a rule. No matter the time, Mom and Dad wake up and watch us go through our gifts. I remember when we were little, there was a rule we couldn't get up before 5am. Now I realize we had to give Santa plenty of time to get all the Barbie Dreamhouse decals on as well as assemble matchbox car racetracks.
Mama usually makes a big country breakfast and we spend the day just soaking up each other's company.
This year was a little different since Christmas day fell on a Sunday. It was a family must to attend church that morning per mama's orders. Jesus is the reason ya know. We still managed to find our way into our pjs late afternoon with a full belly. It was all perfect.
This is Mom and Dad's tree. They always get a real tree that is full of colored lights, homemade ornaments, memories and one of mama's original big red bows.
Oh if you all only understood the comments that take place before family photo's like these.
Let's just say daddo and baby bro may not understand the bloggin bizznass or the need to just capture all of life's moments via the camera.
I asked dad and baby bro to pose for a quick shot....and of course this is what I got.
And it is a guaranteed laugh every time my dad gets behind the camera.
At least he got some of our bodies in the photo. Usually it's head shots only because of my dad's 6'9" height. He is getting better....slowly.
OK lets be clear....my mama is not this tall. She barely comes to his chest. Mama hardly leaves the house though without her 4inch heels. Gosh I wish we had the same size shoe.
Oh baby bro....and that ever growing chia-pet on his head. I can't even talk about it.
This is the baby Jesus in my mom's nativity scene. She handmade it years ago. It is my favorite Christmas decoration.
Growing up, there were many fights between baby bro and I over who would place the baby Jesus.
I am pretty sure there were tears at times.
And every year mama buys me and baby bro an ornament.
This year she had them both on the dinning room table until I got home for Christmas. It was only then that we were allowed to hang them on the tree.
This is baby bro's
and of course I always have the holiday Barbie
I snapped some other photos of a few of my favorite ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Little me and itty bitty baby bro
It kinda breaks my heart that this was Bailey's 5th Christmas.
Oh why that would be me. i think this was the 3rd grade.
of course this ornament refers to me
I had to look really hard for this one....but i found it.
That wraps up 2011's Christmas posts.
I have loved reading about all of your holidays and traditions so much. How did I live without you in my life before???
Cheers to 2012 ladies...it's gonna be a good one!!
