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Site Last Updated: Mar 04, 2005 10:16 PM
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Christmas at BatesCentral
Christmas 2004 was a blur! Starting around Monday
the 20th, the activity level at our house rose dramatically. Here are the
highlights of the week leading up to
Christmas...Last Minute Gifts
to BuyLike every year, as much as
you plan for Christmas, there is always something to buy last minute. This, of
course, happens to me much more than it happens to Jenn. Historically, I have
always been a Christmas Eve shopper, but Jenn has started to convert me. I
didn't buy all of my gifts on Christmas Eve Day, but 30-40% was normal (hey, cut
me some slack... there are great deals). I am not like that any longer, mostly
because I am spoiled. Jenn buys most of the gifts! Even so, there were a few
things left to get and time was running out. This does not lead to a relaxing
week before Christmas.Holiday
Activities With the KidsThere were
a lot of activities to do with the kids. We had holiday specials to watch
(stored on our TiVo for convenient viewing). This takes up time when you need to
shop and prepare for Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every moment of
spending time with the kids. It is what Christmas is all about.
We also had The Fantasy of Lights to
visit (http://www.fantasyoflights.com/). There is a big park not far from us
that decks itself out in Christmas lights. It take about 15-20 minutes to drive
through and see them all. While you drive, they play non-stop Christmas music on
an FM radio station frequency, so that you can listen while you view the lights.
It is a wonderful Christmas tradition. It reminds me a bit of La Salette back
home (http://www.lasalette-shrine.org/lasalettechristmas.htm).
The Fantasy of Lights was a huge hit
with all of us. Casey and Quinn were mesmerized the entire
time!Preparing for Christmas
Eve and Christmas DayChristmas Eve
and Christmas Day festivities were at our house this year. There was a lot to do
to get ready. I must admit that Christmas Eve does not register much in my
memory because there was so much to do. Jenn spent most of the day baking with
the help of Jackie. While Casey and I spent our day running errands. Here is a
tip for you all... don't go food shopping on Christmas Eve Day! I spent 37
minutes waiting in line at the grocery store!!! It was like being at Disney
World, except there was no big payoff (except lightening my wallet). At least
Disney takes the money up front!Casey
and I were out and about from around 1:15pm until 4:15pm. He never complained
about going from store to store or waiting in line. As annoying as the day could
have been, we had a great time. I enjoyed every minute that I spent with him
that day. We called it our big
adventure!Meanwhile, back at
BatesCentral, Jenn was cooking and cleaning and entertaining the troops! It was
a busy day, but we managed to pull it off (and still have time to make some
Christmas crafts).
The 2004 Christmas Eve
CraftsJenn, Jackie and I were up
late Christmas Eve wrapping, putting toys together and preparing the house for
Christmas morning. We managed to watch a couple of movies while we worked
(Elf
and The
Terminal). I think that we were in bed
sometime around 2:00am. It was a lot of work, but for the kids, it would be
worth it! Christmas
MorningChristmas Day started at
7:10am. That is what time Casey came and woke us up. I was very pleased to get
to sleep until 7am! Casey laid in bed with us until Quinn woke up (about 10
minutes later). Not too bad. I remember Tom and I getting up around 5:30am. I
expect Casey and Quinn to get us up earlier on Christmas morning as they get
older.Well, Christmas morning went as
expected. First we checked to see if Santa had finished the milk and cookies
that we left for him. It was no surprise that not only had Santa polished off
the goodies, but the reindeer had eaten the carrots that we left (all nine of
them)!
Goodies for Santa and the
ReindeerNext we opened out
stockings. The kids got all kinds of toys and candy. They were very excited!
After that, we moved on into the living room to ravage the presents under the
tree. In true Bates fasion, it was a paper ripping frenzy! Quinn was hilarious!
Every time you said, "Here is a present for Quinn," he would respond, "For
meeeeee?" The tone in his voice when he said it was that of someone who was
truly amazed and astounded. It was
classic!After we finished covering the
living room in wrapping paper, there were still a few gifts left to give. We had
gotten Casey and Quinn new bikes. They were hidden in the garage. They were
ecstatic! Oh, but we weren't done yet. In the back yard we had two more gifts.
Nana and papa (my parents) had gotten the boys a mini roller coaster and mimi
and gramps (Jenn's parents) had gotten the boys a slide. I thought the kids
heads were going to explode! They kept running back and forth between the slide
and the roller coaster. It was a wonderful
morning!
Roller Coaster Riding and Slide
TimeChristmas
DayThe rest of the day was a blur
to me. We had breakfast. Jenn had made cinnabuns from scratch (the best you'd
ever taste). The whole gang came over for dinner. We ate, played games, drank
great wine and really had a wonderful time. After dinner we had another round of
presents with Jenn's family. The kids made out like bandits!
By the time everyone left later that
night, we were all exhausted. Christmas 2004 was a success! It was a much
appreciated after Christmas 2003. If any one remembers, Jenn was very, very sick
last Christmas season. She felt cheated out of the holiday, so it was even more
special to have this year go well. It would have been a perfect Christmas had my
family been with
us.Bill
Posted: Tue - December
28, 2004 at 10:45 AM
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