I was chatting with a friend at church this week and she said her family spent Christmas in Vancouver because they wanted a white Christmas just like they were used to back home. Being born and raised in California, I have never had a white Christmas! I’m sure I would enjoy it if that’s what I had grown up with, but since I did not, I prefer sunshine over snow any day! Thankfully, there is an abundance of sunshine here and our California Christmas did not disappoint.
Our boys were in school through the 22nd, which felt a bit anticlimactic. There are so many fun activities to enjoy while anticipating Christmas, so it was disappointing that they were in school most of the days leading up to Christmas. Their school had activities and parties of course, but it’s not the same as having the whole day free at home. We spend the 23rd at home, packing and wrapping presents, and then headed to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. It was a really nice, low key family celebration. My aunt and cousin that lived out of state for many years were with us this year and it was just like old times! My boys’ only cousins live in the same town as my parents, and the kids always love the time together.
The day after Christmas, we headed to LA to see my husband’s grandma. It’s a bit of a trek to get there from the Bay Area, and with sports and school, we hadn’t made it there in about two years. His grandma was thrilled to have us, of course. One of our traditions with her is breakfast at the beach, so we did that the first morning that we were there. It was a gorgeous day!
We were gone almost a week, and I’m glad that the break from school gave us the opportunity to make the trip. Now that we are home, I couldn’t be happier to have a wide open schedule full of relaxation and fun time with the boys. They got a couple of new board games for Christmas and are eager to play those, and they also want to start a puzzle.
Our holiday season ended with a quiet family dinner at home for NYE. Today we plan to enjoy one last family day together before my husband heads back to work tomorrow. It has been a full but lovely holiday season.
Happy New Year to all of you!
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Note: my exact necklace is sold out but the one I linked is so similar (and the same brand) that I wanted to include it. My sweater and shoes are unfortunately sold out as well.
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