December was filled with the usual things...class presentations, piano recitals, dance recitals, a 1st grade play, caroling, concerts, and of course Christmas parties! And this was all BEFORE the Christmas break. I don't know how parents ever make it through this insane month.
(Evie chose to talk about Christmas in Peru since J and V recently went on a trip there.)
(Evie played the role of the Meadow Mouse just like Elina did when she was in 1st grade!)
Because of the pre-break madness, we made sure to incorporate lots of PJ-movie days into our Christmas break. Whenever there's a break, my main goal really is to not drive the car anywhere...so the PJ-movie days work perfectly in my schedule!
At home we spent time with family...decorated Christmas cookies...had lots of gingerbread house contests...watched A Christmas Carol play that the kids put on...we sure love holiday traditions.
(This year B outdid himself with a Christmas tree house. It was so artistic! Then for our 2nd contest--which had a camping theme--B created a cute fishing scene. V also made a whimsical house that we all adored! My dad also outdid himself with the amount of materials he used this year. These guys are talented!)
We still did a few fun things in town...Zoo Lights (where the kids got to ride a camel!)...
A double-decker bus tour of San Antonio.
"Moana" and "Rogue One" (not Eulee for this one) at the theater.
We also did our annual Christmas Eve visit to Target to hand out little treats to all the hard-working Target employees. This year we classed it up with Ferrero Rocher. Ha! All the employees were thrilled we visited. One made an announcement on the PA to say thank you to us. One cashier came up to us later and said he wanted to cry. It was really sweet. We made extras this year so we also stopped by Ross next door. Lemme just say that the Ross employees seemed to have had a rougher day than the Target employees. They looked so tired and when the kids handed them the treats, they were overjoyed. The last person we gave a treat to was the manager and she had just stuck her hand in some gel that had spilled out of a broken plastic bottle. She was a hot mess and when she heard the kids say "Merry Christmas" to her, she was on the verge of tears. We will definitely be keeping this tradition for years to come. It really is a little act of kindness that is so appreciated during this busy season.
But really our main focus this year was on hanging out at home and relaxing. This was really the first year where we did this and I must say that it was a nice change. I loved that when it was the Sunday night before school to begin again, I felt like we were well-rested and ready to get back into school mode. Usually we pack the break pretty full and then when the 1st day back to school rolls around, I feel like there were a million things I didn't get to. I need to start treating breaks like a true break...a time for rest. Lord knows we definitely need it!
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