The 10 ways of Christmas

I was thinking I'd love to post about my crafting, gifting, making, decorating, traveling, etc of Christmas but figured I'd also get bored of individual posts so here is most everything in list form.

1. Gift baskets - I've made goodie baskets for neighbors, friends, and service people many of the past few years (there have been years it just didn't happen). This year I had baking day for banana bread and cookies and candy day for carmel corn and seafoam. Baking day was way easier. Candy day ended up having to be a few days spread apart. The baskets got done and delivered without much stress.

I made the exact number of cookies I needed for the baskets. #1 and I used the laundry room table to get them decorated so we could spread out more. Later, the dog at all but 6 cookies! Back to baking...

After the dog-eating-the-cookies, I didn't have anymore green food coloring so went with stars.

2. The making - I kept my making list pretty small this year since I didn't give myself much time to get anything done. Mr. Wiedz and I decided to make no-sew fleece blankets for each child so that was a project we spread over a few evenings and was actually nice since we were doing it together.

Santa also brought this handmade dress for Kit's stocking. Every doll needs a Christmas dress, yes! #1 says Santa's elves did a real good job making it!

I'd thought maybe I'd knit #1 and #2 a hat and Mr. Wiedz's step-dad a neck warmer. I got #1's hat done but the yarn I'd purchased for #2's disappeared, I took that as a sign to let that project go. And my heart just wasn't in the neck warmer so it was also abandoned.

My first cabled garment and I love it. So does #1...she's barley taken it off. It is supposed to be "slouchy", I'm not sure where she saw slouchy hat fashion but she is all over it! Grammie gave her 3 more skeins of yarn for me to make more...

3. Daddy/Sissy Christmas Outfit Date - Every year for many years now, Mr. Wiedz has taken #1 on a date to pick out her Christmas outfit. This year they spent a couple hours at the mall and came away with a fabulous outfit!

4. The Travels of Mary and Joseph - For many years I was a Creative Memories consultant. A dear friend, AJ (who is still a CM consultant - need scrapbook supplies or inspiration check out her website, shared two of their family traditions, an ABC's of Advent scrapbook and traveling Mary and Joseph. I never did put together a scrapbook like hers but once #1 was old enough Mary and Joseph have started traveling through the house on their way to Bethlehem (the manger). This year was the most fun we've had so far. #3 would start each day by looking for them. I tried convincing him that Mary was really tired from the baby Jesus in her tummy and that they needed to spend another night in the same location - no go...

They're journey was long and perilous...

But they made it...thank you Mary for your willingness to be the vessel for our Lord.

5. Christmas Jammies - We've always given the kids pjs on Christmas Eve and last year I made them all for the first time. This year I gave it another go (there were some rise issues and general fitting issues last year since I didn't use a pattern at all). I used really soft Christmas flannel and had a pattern that #1 used at Girl Scouts this year. I modified it for the other kids, though not enough and EVERYONES pants were about 5-7 inches too long...but the inseam was good and the waists all fit :)!

The cuffs are another really cute flannel that said Naughty or Nice...I thought of #4 when I saw that fabric and just had to get some to add to the pants. Everyone got a simple t-shirt to finish off the pjs...later I realized I put #2's shirt on #3 and #3's shirt on #2 (too small), we fixed it but #3 wasn't happy about not having a green shirt. I realized once I was sewing #3's that they were not going to be big enough around so I added a strip of the cuff fabric...gave me some more width to work with and is pretty cute (helps figure out whose is whose too).

6. Santa - We do Santa. The fun of Christmas...the magic...the letters...the excitement...we leave seafoam for Santa

And he comes...

He even leaves a thank you card (for the seafoam) and a Santa statue.

7. Christmas Morning - Last year we moved to our rental in Eugene. This home is JUST where the Lord picked for us to live. But it is a much smaller house than our previous one. Every year for as long as I can remember Mr. Wiedz and I travel to his family's for Christmas Eve. A wonderful time of visiting, eating and celebrating. At the end of the party we drove home, put kids to bed with promises that Santa only comes when they're asleep and woke up Christmas morning in our own beds. The past couple of years Mr. Wiedz's parents have joined us in the trek home after the party and gotten woken by excited grandchildren for Christmas morning while my parents come sometime in the later morning to spend the rest of the day. Last year my mom suggested that our home here was a tad too small for everyone to fit...and invited everyone to her house. I didn't think Mr. WiedzGrammie and Grampie D.

Presents, sticky buns, and a beautiful time shared by grandparents, parents and children.

8. Christmas Afternoon and Dinner - Another wonderful aspect of being at my parent's for Christmas is that it truly feels like being on vacation. We had a really relaxing day.

Some naps

Some knitting (me) and crocheting (grammie n).

Some reading

And some new games to play

Christmas dinner was easy, put together throughout the day

9. The Sickies - A couple of days before Christmas #2 started feeling "weird". I gave him Tylenol and let him rest, as we were eating dinner and a friend from work walked in the door he let loose into the "puke bowl" I'd JUST sat in his lap. He was fine until the next morning when he let loose again. After another day on the couch he was up and fine that evening. #5 and #4 weren't feeling great the day before Christmas Eve but were doing better by the time they went to bed.

Mr. Wiedz started feeling achy. He woke up Christmas Eve not so sure about going to all the festivities of the day. I talked him into it...it wouldn't be the same...everything was already set in motion. We drove up to Portland. Once we got to mom's his Tylenol had worn off so he decided to lay down for a bit until it was time to leave. But he only got sicker. #4's fever was back too.

I went to the family party without Mr. Wiedz or #4. While I was there Mr. Wiedz's fever got to 102.7. He was miserable.

He did wake up for Christmas morning and enjoyed the time with the children but had a nap when the morning activities were wrapped up.

He started feeling better, we drove home. He went into the doctor on Sunday to discover strep throat. I took #4 in Sunday too. #1 got her antibiotics yesterday evening and #2 went to urgent care tonight.

10. One last stop from Santa - When we got home we discovered Santa had also visited our house! Leaving a couple of presents for each kid. They were so excited! We had such a quiet and snuggled time being together. Opening presents slowly and enjoying each one and each other.

After our present time we had birthday cake for Jesus then went to bed.

What a season. What a celebration. What a time.