Christmas morning in this phase of life pretty much looks the same — stockings at the top of the stairs to tide the girls over until we’re all ready to trek downstairs; a ribbon leading each sister to the #1 gift she asked from Santa; a frenzy as the toys are discovered and discarded; breakfast with the extended family; exhaustion + stuff everywhere.
One day all these mornings and memories will be practically indistinguishable, but I’ll remember this year as the “LOL + Music” year.
Cricket’s obsession with LOL dolls is at a height (and based on her history will probably be long gone come next Christmas), so most of the family members sent over some LOL-themed gift: the doll house, the Bigger Surprise, the Mermaid Surprise, Biggie Pets + Live Pets — you name it, they got it. (Hey, if they like it, then who am I to judge?) And we had a lot of fun opening the 13 million blind bags that came in each capsule. (Sorry, recycling plant, it’s going to be a busy week!)
Our budding musician, Emma Vance, asked for a microphone from Santa. We (Ryan) did a lot of research because mygosh there are a lot of options. He ended up choosing a karaoke machine so that she’d have max volume. Ryan’s also been wanting to give the girls a keyboard because we have a busted piano they are constantly tinkering on, so it seemed like a fitting accompaniment to the microphone set up. Both girls have been nonstop on the piano/karaoke. They’ve discovered “dance mode” and have been DJing with enthusiasm. (Thankfully we were able to pull the headphones we use in the car to mute the rave-vibe our house had taken on. Yeesh.)
There’s a part of me that’s too overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that our girls end up receiving because we have such lovely + generous family. There’s also a part of me that knows that the days of clothing ‘n cash are quickly coming. Ryan and I have started to talk about a three-present Christmas next year, although the logistics of the actual gifts is still up for debate. (Right now we don’t wrap anything or distinguish who gave the girls which gift — Christmas morning “Santa” delivered it all, although the girls don’t really ask too many questions.) I suppose we’ve got a whole year to figure out how/if that will work for our family. Suggestions welcome!
