Another Christmas come and gone... I know this is the most cliche thing to say, but it really does feel like each holiday season hurries by faster than the last one, and right when I have a moment to sit back and enjoy the spirit of things, it's suddenly over just as quickly as it came. This year I found myself really looking forward to having children, because I imagine creating a beautiful Christmas for them, complete with traditions unique to our family, will bring the magic flooding back. For example, I think when we have kids, I'd like to make Christmas a full week affair, leading straight up 'til New Year's Day. None of this Christmas-is-suddenly-over-on-the-26th nonsense. There will be more cookie baking, more Christmas movie watching, more acts of Christmas kindness, etc. I'd also like to have my kids write letters to their future selves to tuck away in their stockings for the next year. These letters will include New Year's goals and a thankful list of all the gifts they received in the current year. That way they can open it with their stocking goodies the next Christmas, and remember and reflect. Isn't that kind of a fun idea? Thought maybe some of you with kids old enough might like to try it.
Anyway, enough of my rambling this morning. Here's a few photos of our day! I hope you all had a really wonderful Christmas...
my mom got this for Matthew... he seemed to think it highly applicable to our life.
mom and Norman!
mom clearly enjoying her cupcake :)
Edd... still with us.
Norman feeling very sad about being made to wear a sweater.
the most delicious breakfast casserole evvverrrr.
got any scraps for me...?
Didn't take very many pictures at our second stop of the day (Matthew's side of the family), but here's a couple fun ones!
Matthew's Grandpa... the hat swings back and forth, as you can tell from the blur! Hilarious!
Most meaningful gift of the year. A beautiful canvas print of my little family, from Matthew's parents. Made me happy-cry. :)
Have a great Thursday!
It looks like had an amazing Christmas. Norman is so cute!
ReplyDeleteLovely, one of my favourite posts so far :) Your photos are always so nice and they really make me feel like we get to truly know you. And - you're really funny! Happy holidays :) xxxxx
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids and I still celebrate Christmas well into the new year :). It's my favorite holiday, and it makes me happy, so I figure that's a good enough excuse :). Just continue to enjoy as long as you like! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures...the dog (named Norman...awesome) in the sweater? Fabulous! :)
Happy Holidays!
:-) :-) :-)
ReplyDeleteAh- that picture of your family is too precious! I love it. What a beautiful Christmas, Jenni!
ReplyDeleteThis was great, I so enjoy seeing what other bloggers do for Christmas! I want to squeeze Norman, he is SO CUTE!!!
ReplyDeleteI love everything about this, but I especially love the photos of precious NORMAN! I want to rub my face with his.
ReplyDeleteThat's weird. Just go with it.
Norman's sweater is awesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd that canvas print is also awesome. So genuine!
Love it! Norman is definitely part basset with those paws turned out. We call Floyd's his 'sassy paws'. That canvas is amazing, I can see why that spurred some happy tears, so precious!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the idea of writing the letter for the next year - I may have to tuck that idea away for our own future family if you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Norman looks so handsome with that hat and the canvas is absolutely beautiful. What a wonderful gift!
Looks like y'all had such a lovely day :)
ReplyDeleteLove the canvas- that is so cute. & The "i'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong"... need to get that for my MIL! Lol!
ReplyDeleteThat canvas is beautiful -- what thoughtful inlaws.
ReplyDeleteI love that quote...need to get it for my boyfriend -- trying to argue with a lawyer is just not worth it!
What a wonderful christmas! Your grandfather is cracking me up over here! Love your canvas!!!
ReplyDeleteMerry After Christmas!
Great pictures!! I love the sign your mom got for Matthew--hilarious! Looks like you all had a good Christmas.
ReplyDelete~Tiffany
http://tiffanyd22.blogspot.com
matthew's grandpa reminds me of carl from UP! and that hat cracks me up. norman looks so dapper in his sweater.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful Christmas and I think that would be a great tradition to start with your future kids. I can't wait to have kids just to do all the fun holiday stuff with them.
ReplyDeletethis post is making me want my camera to get fixed super fast. i just got the 55mm 1.8 lens, and i'm about to explode from anticipation to get to play with it!
ReplyDeletethe dog in the sweater is awesome!
tried to find one for brody, but all the cute stuff is for tiny dogs. :/
Love the plaque Matthew got and I love the canvas!!! Glad you had a great Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteI had the exact same feelings as you this holiday season! Each year the holidays seem to rush past us. Even though stores started decorating before Thanksgiving. I just felt like I had no time to enjoy. I didn't even get to look at lights this year!!!
ReplyDeleteI too was imagining myself with kids and how much I can't wait to show them the magic of Christmas. I want to watch Christmas movies each night for a week, bake cookies for Santa, drink hot chocolate while driving around looking at lights, fill stockings with little presents...the list could go on for days. Not to mention, there are the cutest kids clothes for Christmas! Maybe one Christmas soon! I'll just have to continue to put bows on my dogs and fill their stockings; )
Norman is too precious!! Love the canvas :) I've never had a breakfast casserole..I've been wanting to try making one..yours looks delicious tho! Looks like you had an awesome Christmas!!
ReplyDeleteCanvas prints are such a great gift for anyone. I like that the shot is very candid and fun! Looks like a great holiday with both families!
ReplyDeleteAwww....looks like you had a wonderful Xmas!!! So glad! Beautiful family!!
ReplyDeletewhat a picture perfect Christmas! looks like an amazing time.
ReplyDeletethat canvas print is incredible!
and i think i need the gift your mom gave Matthew. actually i'm pretty positive i need it ;)
thanks for sharing your Christmas. I love that canvas photo.
ReplyDeleteI love that letter idea! How fun is that?! I am definitely going to incorporate that in my family traditions
ReplyDeleteThe stocking letter idea is aboslutly brilliant, I would have loved doing something like that as a child. Looks like y'all had a great holiday! xo, Maria
ReplyDeleteNORMAN! Gah. That face could turn anyone to mush. And I fully support your full week of Christmas! I feel like the next day my family is like 'okie doke, that was nice, put everything away and get back to life'. I spent yesterday next to my Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate and cuddling my pup and I'll tell you what, that is so much better than packing it away. Merry Week of Christmas!
ReplyDeleteAwww great pics princess! Thanks for sharing! at christmas this year I though we need Jenni here to take some family photos as we were all trying to figure out settings on our PHONES!!! it was a sad state of affairs :) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Matthew and the pups.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics Jenni! This looks like a wonderful Christmas. I love the hat. That made me lol. Miss you. Let's do lunch soon. <3
ReplyDeleteNorman and that sweater. Haha. Love it! So adorable. I wanted to put our cats in sweaters. The husband said absolutely not.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful canvas! What wonderful in laws you have...Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThat canvas print is beautiful! Love it! I definitely would have cried too! :) The ideas you have for your children sound great. I hate the "christmas is gone on the 26th" too. Love the idea of a week of Christmas and of the letters!
ReplyDeleteI love the canvas print! So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful Christmas!
I love your ideas for traditions.
ReplyDeleteI love your canvas print of you and yours.
I love all your pretty pictures and that you took time to share them with us.
I love the sign your Mom got for Matthew.
And i love Norman. in his sweater. makes me want to kiss his face. :)
Oh, and I love you.
ReplyDeletemwuaahh!!
Totally awesome and just like you i wore a dress jumper. I like your vision of Christmas with your children, i'll definitely try when get older. Happy holidays and wishing you a new year full of sweet giggles :).
ReplyDeleteB.E.A-YOU-tiful. That canvas print is such a gem. Norman probably likes his sweater, he's just being modest.
ReplyDeleteThe holidays have had me feeling the same way....I border back and forth between thinking kids of my own would be awesome and then not so much. Love your idea for tradition. And a week of Christmas, I'm in on that one too! If (when...) we have kids, we'll be sure to do it up right!
ReplyDeleteThat is the best gift you guys got! The picture is so nice! Aww.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all had a great Christmas :)
Looks like a lovely Christmas. And you're right, having kids totally brings back all the magic of Christmas. I love celebrating with them and creating new traditions for our family. I love your idea of putting a note in their stocking for their future selves. I'm going to try that with my kids this year! Happy holidays.
ReplyDeletehttp://shannonhearts.blogspot.com/
I completely agree with the Christmas-is-over-the-26th - it is nonsense! I'm still in holiday spirit mode through to the 31st, myself. And the letter writing, what an awesome idea! Heck, it can be for us adults, too, methinks. I will have to make note of this for next year.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year, lovely lady!
norman is so cute! glad you had a happy christmas x
ReplyDeleteNorman looks so handsome in his little sweater.
ReplyDeleteI definitely like that idea about the kids writing letters to themselves. Someday I may put it to good use. :)
Merry Christmas!
Looks like a beautiful day! I love your idea about having children write a letter to their future selves. Don't have kids yet but I'm very excited to celebrate Christmas with them one day.
ReplyDeleteXO,
Catherine
FEST (food, style, travel)
Just gorgeous!! Your mom is such a doll!!! And Norman...a dog named Norman just makes me giggle! ;) So glad you had a great Christmas. I'm SO with you on being excited to start new traditions one day with kiddos of our own!
ReplyDeleteNorman is too cute. Ha! Looks like you had a wonderful Xmas. LOVe that print you got. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea with the letters, I might try that!
ReplyDeleteHope you did have a fantastic Chrismtas!
That canvas is so pretty! I also love the picture of your cute dog in the sweater!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHttp://countryrootscityliving.blogspot.com
What a beautiful post! Great ideas for Christmas traditions. :) Loooove the Norman pics - naturally.
ReplyDeletenorman's right foot is killin' me.
ReplyDeleteYou are gorg looks like a great christmas
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year cutie!!
Loving your blog girl
XO
Ash
Aw! This post warmed my heart. Whenever you and Matthew do decide to have kids, you're going to be an amazing mother :)
ReplyDeleteHopefully you still have some leftover cookies/cupcakes to dig into.
My mom always leaves the tree up until the 6th of January (it's a 12 days of Christmas thing) and she was just telling me that when they were kids they did not get the tree until Christmas eve. I say no rush to move on, leave it all up for a bit and enjoy the season!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, thinking about creating Christmas traditions for a family of your own - which is just ridiculous for me to even be talking about - me a completely single girl with absolutely no potential of being with anybody any time soon - thaaat's alright. I really love your letter idea. As for Christmas from the 26th to New Years, I don't know how I'd feel about that one... then I'd miss my birthday :)
ReplyDeleteYou know how much I love Gracie + Cooper, but Norman.... I don´t know what to say and Norman in a sweater. The cutest. Reminds me so much of my beloved dachshund Max. It´s 6 years already and I miss him a lot.
ReplyDeleteNorman clearly stole the show though!
Again, happy holidays!
xoxo
Get Jenni, good news. I'm ready to start advertising ASSP again! I'm going to be opening my new shop and put full force back into blogging:) and I'd love to start here with you! My email had been wonky so I wanted to just Leave a comment here!!! Id like to take the large, 3 month spot:) email ASAP lady! I'm excited!!!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is just the cutest! I came here through buitifuconfessions blog! I keep browsing around, and I love what you did with your blog! Check my blog out sometime! I am just starting out! confessionsofagirlintherealworld.com :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful Christmas! I love the sign "I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong" lol! Such a perfect little sign for any couple lol
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!
What a lovely and special Christmas for you Jen!! And your canvas present is stunning.
ReplyDeletex
What a beautiful photo of you guys! I love your stocking letter idea! I may just have to remember(ok, steal) that idea for my future family! ;)
ReplyDeleteNorman is the cutest thing!
ReplyDeleteI NEED the recipe for that casserole! It looks delicious.
And that canvas print...so precious. I'm obsessed with anything canvas right now.
It looks like you had a wonderful Christmas!
ReplyDelete