Christmas at the Lodge- 2010

We were blessed with two wonderful Christmasses this year! We celebrated with Vanessa, Drew and Lawson on the 25th and with the entire clan on the 26th! Our 18 foot tree provided the perfect centerpiece for the family to gather around and with all the presents, the girth of the tree was a very good thing. Eric and I will remember actual Christmas as the Year Christmas Came in a Matchbox.... car that is! I was lucky enough to find a deal on about 30 matchbox cars at the MMHL sale which made their way under the tree all individually wrapped and kept Lawson busy all day long unwrapping them. The amazing thing was that he immediately knew they were for him by the size alone... and he would go and get the next one anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour after opening and appreciating the last. It was both heartwarming and a real testament to the art of "slow gift opening". The next day, with so many gifts to open, that luxury was impossible to duplicate! What a pile of presents! It was an entirely different kind of fun... a wild, confusing, but yet a wonderful kind of fun. A kind of fun that is fleeting... as children grow, as lives change... as circumstances may not always allow us to capture. I think back to the chaos of Christmasses when the girls were small. It always brings a smile to my face and as funny as it may sound, I really missed it... but now it is back! The main "mistake" I made was Christmas Dinner. We had munched most of the afternoon and it had been a huge day. Everyone was tired by the time I got dinner to the table... and dinner was too big and too complicated; roast beef and lobsters for the main course. Peighton wanted desperately to go to bed, Lawson needed to get on the road back to his house, Alexa was holding on by a thread, and Adelle just plain fell asleep in her dinner! A new game plan will be in affect for next year! But, as I lay in bed preparing to drift off to a much deserved rest, I found myself being so thankful to my girls, their families, and my Mr. Eric for giving me such a wonderful holiday.