So, our christmas. Well, to be honest we sort of had three christmases this year. We had christmas as a family of three on christmas eve morning complete with cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast. We had christmas eve dinner with my parents and my brother and his girlfriend complete with roast duck. And then! We had christmas with my in-laws complete with my very first trip to Williamsburg! Sheesh!! It was quite a whirlwind couple of days but I felt so blessed to have so much of my family close with me. Birdie was drowning in gifts by christmas day and we were all regretting that "oh my gosh I promise it's my last" cookie (which it never really is, is it?). There were fires and laughter and the ceremonial ripping of paper. 

Speaking of gifts Birdie took to gift opening with gusto. She learned the trick during her birthday celebrations, I believe, and by christmas? Man was she ready. On the 23rd she practiced her skills by ever so sneakily ripping into grandma's present which papa bear valiantly re-wrapped only to have her rip it open again mid-process. That's when I took over. In the end grandma's gift was wrapped three times!! That's dedication folks. Anyway, back to christmas eve. So here we are all nestled under the tree by the fire and I believe it was I who was given the first gift. The first tear made it's way down the box and then we heard an excited "ooh! oooooh!" from Birdie. That was it. She was hooked. From then on it was saucer eyes and oohs for the rest of the night and our little elf happily unwrapped every single gift under that tree that night! Come bedtime she was all tuckered out from her duties and we carried her straight to the crib sans bath. We assume she dreamt of unwrapping endless amounts of gifts. 

Once the nursery was quiet we brewed some tea, cut into the buche de noel and talked and talked and talked. We remembered old christmases, shared dreams and hopes, laughed and before we knew it, it wasn't christmas eve anymore. 

To me the sign of a good christmas is a very dirty kitchen, half drank cups of tea littering the dining room table and a handful of dying embers in the fireplace. And according to that we sure had a swell one this year!