It was wonderful. (Now let's move on.)

I think I'll skip the "I'm recovering from a busy holiday" moaning and just go straight to a few highlights. Though I suspect, if you have kids you already know the stories -- they thought all the presents under the tree were for them, hopped all day from new wonder to new wonder, and looked adorable in their new pink tutus with magic wands. A few hours after the morning frenzy they couldn't list more than one gift. Children live so totally in the moment -- though they love a game or toy when they are in front of it, listing it when it's not in sight is tricky when you're three. M remembered the stocking, though. She told everyone about it. Not what was inside it, but that she got a stocking. We had a grandma in town, always a treat for Christmas, and days like this are just wonderful to share with family.

Holiday discovery no one saw coming: the girls are scared of Winnie-the-Pooh. They'd been talking about him, so Santa put a DVD in one of their stockings. Oh, they couldn't wait. Then they ran away in terror. M will explain that it's not Pooh they don't like, it's just they don't like when he falls down, or gets a honey pot stuck on his head, or chased by bees, or stuck in rabbit's hole. I think we'll put the DVD away for a year or so and try (gasp) reading the stories before we watch them next time.

Favorite gift: Was it the doll house Santa brought them with the lovingly selected twin girl dolls who sleep in bunk beds (they can't wait until they're old enough for bunk beds)? No. Was it the age-appropriate Chutes and Ladders game I remember loving as a girl? Nope. Was is the pile of play musical instruments dad selected and we gave them? Close. They got a drum, cymbals, and a plastic saxophone. Their favorite, however, is the *whistle* that came with the drum. Seriously, we could have saved ourselves a whole lot of trouble and just gotten them whistles.

Nature gave us a white Christmas -- snow all day on the 25th. While this looked lovely and made for a nice Christmas walk, it hampered our ability to do things with the girls, since as readers of this blog know, one of my daughters doesn't like to play in the snow. We had a lovely day, full of pot roast and family music parades and packing for our trip to see another grandma. Though the day didn't feel empty, I still feel I'm struggling to find that Christmas rhythm with our new home and family spread coast-to-coast. Some day, perhaps, we'll all go ice skating or skiing on Christmas Day, or maybe I'll throw a Christmas Day open house like my mother did when I was young. When I was older we always saw a movie -- since my kids are afraid of Pooh, that's a ways off. I've thought about finding a way to spend time with those less fortunate than us to balance the gift-giving and help M+O understand what the holiday season is really about. A soup kitchen, a shelter, something like that where they could actually see those they're helping. They're a little young, and anyway, this wasn't the year to start something else new. Maybe next year. Or the year after, because Christmas comes around every year. Right now, like most of us, I'm glad to be watching it trot off into the sunset.

Hope your new year looks like it'll be your best yet.