Category: Memory Maker

Years ago, when our kids were in preschool, we used to sing a song at their end-of-term parties while holding the sides of a giant parachute and dancing around in circles (yes, I always felt ridiculous). It was a catchy little ditty and even now it’s not unusual for someone in our family to randomly start singing – at the top of their lungs – It’s parachute time, it’s parachute time, play along with me.

Tonight, sitting in front of our Christmas tree cheerfully ablaze with (white) lights, I feel like breaking into song: It’s recap time, it’s recap time, read along with me…

This post is dedicated to Jenny, whose enthusiasm for a Christmas recap has buoyed my spirits all week!

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I would classify Christmas 2022 as Very Nice. Was it my favourite Christmas in recent memory? No. But this makes sense. We were coming off a very hectic fall full of travel for John and a lot of kiddo illnesses. I tried to keep my expectations at a realistic level and mostly succeeded. On the whole, we had a wonderful time and made great memories, but there were some tough moments too. Because, well, that’s life!

CHRISTMAS EVE Eve (AN amazing day)

Spoiler alert: THIS WAS MY FAVOURITE DAY OF 2022.

I intend for this to be the final year of awkwardly referring to this day as Christmas Eve Eve or the Eve of Christmas Eve. All credit goes to Colleen who mentioned her family calls this day Christmas Adam (since the next day is Christmas Eve, it winds up being “Adam” and “Eve”)! I broached this idea with the family and everyone was in agreement the terminology is genius.

We spent the day before (the Eve of Christmas Adam, I suppose?) at a local children’s hospital trying to track down the source of Levi’s odd symptoms. Waking up on Friday with no school, no doctors, and no pressure to be anywhere felt amazing.

John made me a coffee first thing (I limit myself to two cups a week because any more seems to upset my stomach and those cups are gloriously delicious) and sipped it while flipping through a Christmas book.

Then we cleaned.

This probably sounds like the lamest festive activity possible but, for me, it was the perfect antidote to all the chaos of recent weeks. We ran robovacuums upstairs and down, I scrubbed toilets (yup, still my favourite day of 2022!), I mopped floors, I emptied garbage cans and straightened books on shelves. As part of our preparations to update Abby’s room, we dismantled her bedframe and put her boxspring and mattress directly on the floor. She inherited a very nice – but giant – frame from us when we upgraded to a king-sized bed and it was always oversized for her space. Her room immediately felt significantly bigger and lighter.

I washed sheets. I repeat, I washed sheets (and pillowcases and duvets) on TWO beds.

I went for an 8 km walk with my best friend. En route we hand-delivered my final Christmas cards and stopped by a store to source my beloved Stash Holiday Chai tea (none available, but they’re ordering me two boxes). For part of our route, we opted to take a woods trail and came across a decorated evergreen in the wild. Everything about the experience felt magical.

John and I had an unexpected meeting when I got home, and the kids were ravenous by the time we were finished; he took them to Subway for lunch, while I stayed home and prepped supper – Curried Rice with Shrimp and a decadent seafood casserole (lobster, shrimp, scallops).

My parents arrived an hour earlier than expected; I was in exercise gear and looked like a disaster (I was cutting John’s hair when they walked in the door). But I flopped into a comfy chair despite the disarray and we chatted and it was lovely.

At supper, we lit candles and dimmed the lights. The kids were happy. The food was amazing; for dessert we enjoyed slices of pecan pie a friend had gifted us. Then we (minus John) watched a slapstick Christmas movie together (Christmas on Mistletoe Farm on Netflix; overacted with lots of potty humour, it has a very low rating on IMBD, but the kids loved it…and so did I).

From the outside, my day looks like it has a lot of rough edges, what with all the mopping and toilet scrubbing capped off by a low-production value movie. But it was, without a doubt, my favourite day of the year.

christmas eve (good, with a few bumps in the road)

This is typically my favourite day of the year; even though Christmas Eve Eve Adam took those honours in 2022, it was still fun.

Another coffee in the morning. So good. The kids watched a movie while I did some food prep. Mid-morning, Levi took a Christmas card to some neighbourhood friends and they ended up coming back to our place – the three of them played hallway soccer and discussed nuances of the World Cup for hours.

My parents came over for lunch – leftovers of the seafood casserole and rice from Christmas Adam. Unfortunately, at this point, the wheels fell off the bus. The kids started fighting and pushing each other’s buttons. We were planning to watch the animated 1966 Grinch and Charlie Brown’s Christmas. I won’t go into particulars – and I still don’t fully understand how things spiraled – but one child got sent to their room and another dissolved into epic tears about how The Grinch reminded them of vomit (sigh; don’t ask, another long story). So my parents left early, and the kids each “rested” in their rooms. I fumed for a bit, and then managed to embrace the change of plans. I took a long, relaxing shower and prepped for church at a leisurely pace. The breathing room was quite nice. Sadly, this is the first year since I was a kid I didn’t end up watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, but I have survived.

The church service was great (we went to the early service at 4:30 pm) and it was over in less than an hour.

Per tradition, we had pizza on Christmas Eve. This year it was make-your-own on mini-Naan breads and they were delicious. While we ate dessert, Abby put on a piano performance. She made homemade programs for everyone, complete with jokes and hand-drawn pictures. Levi was perfectly supportive and didn’t seem jealous of all the applause – literally – his sibling was receiving (phew).

Then the kids opened up their new Christmas PJ’s (confession: I gave Levi the exact same pair of PJs he received last year. Literally. The same pair. He isn’t a big fan of onesie pajamas, but I couldn’t find anything to match Abby’s, so I pulled these from his closet months ago, wrapped them up for this Christmas and he was none-the-wiser). They both looked very cozy and festive!

Then we all took turns opening up our new ornaments.

I typically buy ornaments right after Christmas at a reduced price, but this year I ended up ignoring my stash and choosing items that were more relevant to current interests.

Abby received a Hermoine ornament; she went as this character for Halloween and is obsessed with all things Harry Potter.

Levi received a Pokemon (Pikachu) ornament. His expression was priceless. While he was unwrapping the ornament, he told me he expected to get something related to soccer or a baseball (last year, his blown-glass baseball ornament fell to the floor and broke within seconds of him opening it). Hilariously enough, I had a soccer-themed ornament all wrapped up, but as his obsession with Pokemon skyrocketed, a Pikachu character seemed like a more appropriate choice. He was very excited.

John got me an adorable Snoopy ornament (I love the Grinch and Charlie Brown’s Christmas; years ago he got me a Grinch ornament, so I’m thrilled to have Charlie Brown’s Christmas memorialized on our tree as well).

Abby spotted this Eiffel Tower ornament for John. We didn’t source an ornament while we were in Paris and though this representation is a bit on the gaudy side (it’s covered in glitter), I like having a reminder of our special memories from that city and think it also more broadly represents our life adventures together.

We (minus John, he’s not a huge fan of cookie-cutter holiday romance films) watched another Christmas movie – one of my all-time favourite Hallmark ones, Window Wonderland.

The movie was a lot of fun, but I was absolutely exhausted by the time it was over. I still had to get the kids settled for bed, see my parents off for the night, and get stocking gifts organized. Note to self: organize the evening better next year. I was pretty grumpy and overtired by the time everything was squared away for Christmas morning (Abby and John helped).

christmas day (Good, BUT EXHAUSTING and Always a bit sad)

Christmas morning was wonderful. For the first time since December 2nd, we didn’t see Levi in the middle of the night. I told John it was a Christmas miracle! Turns out, he woke up Abby instead (sucks for her, but was great for me); she helped him warm up a magic bag, and then they had a sleepover. Thankfully they were both in good moods when they came to see us around 6:30ish. They had no complaints about waiting for my parents to arrive. I made a delicious cup of Chai tea which I sipped contentedly while watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas (without any of the drama from Christmas Eve). I started baking the Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

My parents arrived around 7:30 am. The kids took turns reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. Meatball (safely contained in a little travel tote) listened attentively.

And then we opened stockings. This was so much fun and the highlight of Christmas Day for me. We took turns unwrapping our stocking gifts one at a time (I had three or four stocking gifts total, which made me think of the SNL Christmas Morning skit; and I DID give my Mom a robe).

I’m going to do a separate post about gifts because I want to have it to reference next year, but I was really pleased with what I purchased this year for stocking stuffers. Stay tuned!

While we finished unwrapping the final stocking gifts, John scrambled eggs and finished prepping bacon. I pulled fresh Cinnamon Coffee Cake (monkey bread) out of the oven. But my favourite item? The orange juice. We so rarely buy orange juice and I had two glasses of it and it tasted absolutely wonderful.

My parents were going to a different church service, so they had to leave early. I cleaned up all the wrapping paper, put gift bags back into my wrapping stash, and generally tidied up the space. John and Levi played soccer outside with a new multi-use ball he had received. Then the kids worked on some craft kits and Abby peppered us with Would You Rather questions from her new book.

Then it was off to church at 11 am, home for lunch by 12:15 pm.

Every year we do a treasure hunt of clues for the kids to follow. I love this tradition. Each year I wrap the first clue up in about a dozen layers of boxes and bags and wrapping paper (the first layer is huge, so it’s ironic that they end up with a tiny slip of paper by the end). The kids are always giggling once they get to the 4th or 5th layer. And when they finally reach the first clue they are off like a bolt of lightning. This year our clues had them going all over the house, down to the mailbox, into the backyard, before eventually ending up across the street at our neighbours house. They have a Christmas tree on their back deck and we put the wrapped “treasure” under their tree (I had cleared this with our neighbours first and they were delighted to have their house be the final stop of the Frost Christmas Morning Treasure Hunt).

The gift? An itinerary for our 2023 trip to South Carolina inside a new family passport holder (I hated juggling boarding passes and passports the last time we traveled and found a great holder that zips closed, can hold up to 6 passports and has a zippered inside pouch). The kids were excited to learn about the trip, and the whole hunting process left them exhilarated.

While they were following clues, John was prepping lunch. A charcuterie board spread: cheese, meats, crackers, olives, and a shrimp ring.

And then it was back to unwrapping the main gifts. This went well, though I could feel my spirits flagging as the day went on. I was tired and there is just something so sad about Christmas afternoon to me. The tree looks bare without festive packages. And I think pent-up exhaustion from all the preparations really starts to sink in. All that work (SO MUCH WORK, much of it “unseen”), and now the experience is over? Plus, John and I were really, really sleep deprived from Levi’s restless nights.

My parents packed up their gifts and went home for a few hours. All I wanted to do was cry. But there were boxes and bags and gifts to be put away. I carried on because I knew an hour of work would have everything squared away (it did). And then we went on a woods walk as a family, stopping by that decorated evergreen tree, and life felt manageable again. When we got home, the kids played with their gifts and generally enjoyed lounging.

My Mom brought homemade meatballs for supper, I made rice and peas and, for dessert, we had Cherry Cheesecake. It was all delicious!

We watched another Hallmark movie (In Merry Measure), and when my parents went home for the night around 9 pm, I felt satisfied and relaxed.

boxing day (fever alert! but still a GREAT DAY)

Again, we woke up with no child in our bed! But, deja vu, turns out Levi had gone into Abby instead. At 4:30 am. And he had an elevated temp. Sigh.

We were scheduled to host our turkey dinner at lunch time. My parents and a dear friend – widowed, with none of her grown children able to make it home over Christmas – were to join us.

I called to let my parents know about Levi’s fever. I offered to keep Levi sequestered away. Since they had been with him so much over the last few days it felt like that ship had sailed, but our friend helps care for her elderly mother and could no longer come over. We offered to take food to my parents so they could host her at their rental, but she wanted us to spend time together with family.

I felt so, so bad. I know she was excited to spend Christmas with us again (we did this one other year and it was lovely).

But, can I be perfectly honest? I was elated about what this did to our day. In the end, I suggested to my parents that we postpone things to an early supper instead. I stayed in my PJs until LATE into the afternoon. I did a bit of planning in my 2023 planner. John and Levi worked on LEGO. The kids watched a lot of screens. We all just randomly went to the fridge when we were hungry and sourced leftovers as needed. I tried on my new heated vest. John and I went for a walk around the neighbourhood. I helped Abby put away her Christmas presents.

It was exactly what I wanted and needed after the rush of December activities.

Supper was simple but delicious. Levi rested in his room; he’s not too fussed by Christmas dinner anyway. My Mom prepared squash and carrots. We bought StoveTop stuffing and cranberry sauce. I opened a can of corn. We had a jar of boughten pickles. I prepped a turkey and baked potatoes. We had leftover Cherry Cheesecake for dessert. It was delicious.

Yet again we watched a movie! This time it was about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His work hits close to home because the poem Evangeline was written about the deportation of Acadians from Nova Scotia. His fictionalized story about this event has been thoroughly integrated into local culture.

The focus of the movie was on the death of his wife which inspired him to write the carol I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day. While it was a Christmas movie, it was very sad. I’m glad I watched it…but definitely not a Hallmark-style ending.

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All-in-all, this was a nice Christmas holiday. There were some ups and downs but I really appreciate how I can look back on the experience in its totality; for example, from the outset, I was dreading having to jump into prepping turkey and all the fixings first thing Boxing Day morning. But I ended up in my PJs until after 4 pm! While I wish Levi hadn’t spiked a fever, at least there were some silver linings. On December 27th, we were supposed to host three kids for a friend; while I knew it was going to be a big help to her, because of Levi’s fever – you guessed it – we had to cancel those plans…and I stayed in my PJs most of the day!

things that worked great

Overall, I feel like following along with my template from previous years (now memorialized in a spreadsheet) was a success. Highlights:

• Our seafood casserole meal on Christmas Adam. So delicious and a perfect kick-off to the main Christmas events.
• Watching a holiday movie each night. Such a relaxing way to spend the evenings. It feels cozy and festive.
• Lighting candles at dinner each night.
• Using paper plates when appropriate.
• John took the kids out for lunch on Christmas Adam while I prepped supper. It was positively luxurious to have the house to myself for an hour to cook and clean. Getting the kids out of the house on Christmas Adam/Christmas Eve so I can work solo would be a great annual tradition.

Things to adjust for next year

• We’ll skip the charcuterie on Christmas Day. Abby and John love it, but the rest of us are meh, and it makes for a lot of leftovers that need to be consumed quickly (shrimp ring, cured meats). I have no idea what to do for lunch on Christmas Day next year, though. Sandwiches on the panini press?
• I need to add more butter to the base of my cherry cheesecake recipe. It didn’t taste salty enough (weird, I know); thankfully it tasted much better after sitting in the fridge an extra day.
• I want to take more items out of their packaging before they get wrapped.
• Start watching movies earlier. By the time the movies were done, I was ready for bed but still needed to help the kids get settled. I ended up feeling overtired a lot of evenings (though, admittedly, middle-of-the-night wakings don’t help with this).
• I’d love to find some way to spread gift-opening over multiple days. I suspect the kids will revolt against this?! But I LOVED opening stockings on Christmas morning and honestly would have been content to stop there for the day and open the main gifts on Boxing Day. I feel like that would be a tough sell with the kids, but it would extend the fun of it all…
• I’d like to have more people stop by for finger foods over the holidays. We used to do this pre-COVID. This year we were exhausted from…life…but if the health and energy level stars align, next year I’d love to spontaneously invite people over for an hour to hang out, play games, nibble on cookies. Having my parents was wonderful, but it did make me a bit sad we weren’t able to welcome people for short, impromptu get-togethers.

Your turn. How was your Christmas? Any notable highs or lows? What do you call the Eve of Christmas Eve? Do you start feeling a bit melancholy on Christmas Day?