Christmas Day and Weekend

Christmas was great this year, well most of it anyway. Brian and I were both sick and still are sick. I had/have bronchitis and pink eye and on antibiotics for both. Brian had/has an upper respiratory infection. So we spent the whole time coughing, hacking and blowing our noses. I told Mom that we were sick and if they still wanted us to come and she did. So we went and worked hard to keep our germs to ourselves.

On Christmas Eve Josie was keyed up and I don’t think she had any idea why. I feel bad for Josie because when the parents are sick a lot of holiday traditions go out the window. We didn’t get any cookies put out and didn’t read “The Night Before Christmas.” Josie opened her Eve gift early so she could wear her PJ’s and go to bed before it was too late. Brian had already gone to bed so I opened his PJ Eve gift for him. I helped Mom finish wrapping some gifts before heading to bed myself.

Christmas morning Josie didn’t get up until close to 7:30 which was nice for us to get some sleep. I told Mom the night before that I would only be able to hold her off until 8. So at 8 we went upstairs and woke up Grandma and Grandpa. Great Grandma was already up, dressed and eating breakfast. I kept Josie out in the kitchen until everyone was ready before I let her see the tree. I called her in and she came running in and kind of stopped. She didn’t know what to do. She pointed at the presents and looked at me with that look of “can I touch it?” Our tradition is we open stockings first while the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls are baking. Then we eat our rolls and open the rest of the gifts. Josie has really figured out the opening of presents now. Santa wrapped a few of hers a little too well and she needed some adult help. But for the most part she got it all done by herself. My Dad hands out the gifts under the tree so everyone is opening a gift at relatively the same time. Josie got a pile up. She wanted to play with everything before opening another gift. So we let her do her thing and I would open some (the ones I could tell were clothes) and left the others for when she was ready.

Josie’s big hit gift was the play kitchen that Grandma and Grandpa got her. For Brian it was the solar charger he got that can charge/power all his gadgets. For me it was a Pandora Christmas! I got a new Pandora necklace and several beads. Although, I was very fond of the humidifier that I got because I was able to put it straight to use in our room at my mom’s house. It helped us all sleep better with our colds.

The day after Christmas my mom and I baked gingerbread men cookies, banana bread and sugar cookie dough (we didn’t get to make the actual cookies; Mom baked them after I left).

All in all we had a great time and we are feeling better, seems like one of us is sick around the holidays. That is one tradition I can do without. Now the countdown starts toward 2010!