McKinstry Moments: Christmas 2016

This Christmas was one of the nicest, most laid back ones I can remember since I've had children. For various reasons, we cut out some things in December that we normally participate in like some of our family get togethers, visiting Santa, etc., which really helped to keep things more grounded and less hectic. We didn't put as much pressure on ourselves and let a few things slide as needed. That said, there still was a lot of work to do to get everything together and ready for Christmas Eve, but we were able to go to bed that night at a reasonable time feeling pretty satisfied with what the kids would wake up to the next morning.

This was such a fun year because of the children's ages and their excitement in the days that led up to Christmas morning. However, they didn't jump out of bed and run straight for the gifts. Instead, everyone got up at their own pace, ate breakfast, and then we all went into the living room together to do presents as a family. It wasn't a mad grab for toys either. They patiently waited their turns, which impressed me and made me feel more confident that we seem to be heading in the right direction.

A few years ago, I remember being so stressed trying to plan matching pjs and coordinating outfits for the day and how unfrazzled I became when things didn't go according to plan. This time around, I just picked up a few Christmasy options and didn't worry much about it and the pictures turned out just as perfect if not more. Lesson learned! :)

Several of the toy items we bought for the kids were the same, so we had them open them all together. This made it so much easier to capture everyone's reactions at the same time too.

Caleb had hoped for a Wild Kratts Creature Power vest that he spotted at Toys R' Us one day. The PBS show is one of his very favorites and his enthusiasm wore off on the others, who also decided they'd like to have a vest. They were all happy to open this one, but especially Caleb.

On to present number two!

An adventure set, action figures, and power discs to go with their vests - boy, are they going to have fun playing with all this stuff together.

Next!

Binoculars! Reid loved a pair that came in a set we checked out at the library, and when I went to order him some, Dave mentioned that Caleb had been asking for some with a compass too. To my surprise, Hadley spotted a pair of My Little Pony ones in a store we went to one day and said she'd love to have them, so everyone got their own.

Ready for hiking, Daddy.

The final gift they all opened together were robes to keep warm this winter.

We got everyone a few individualized special things too.

Caleb got some extra Wild Kratt discs and critters.

Reid was surprised with some number bots, which he was unsure about until Mommy took them out of the box and he saw how they really worked, transforming into mini robots.

And, Hadley got more Calico Critters and accessories to add to her house.

A set of real bugs to examine

The rabbit family she'd hoped for!

A Mickey tool set!

In their power vests

We saved the stockings for last!

Of course, their had to be an orange in there - traditions. (We'd actually eaten all of ours so I had to borrow from NaNa to pull it off this year.)

One of their favorite stocking stuffers that morning was a set of pieces they could use to build a crazy straw of their choice. They went right to work.

Dave bought me a water proof camera and picked out a shop vac for himself from me. We also got a few special gifts early from Caleb and Hadley, who did chores like tidying, emptying the dishwasher, dividing the recycling, folding laundry, etc. to earn money of their own. The first night I told them they could earn their own cash to shop with, they were so excited, asking for one task after another. The excitement continued for the most part, but at one point Caleb asked why they had to spend THEIR money on the Christmas gifts instead of ours. It made me feel a little guilty at his question that I was working them, knowing the gifts were for us. I didn't dwell on those feelings too long though, because hey it's important for them to learn to do chores and help around the house since they make a good portion of the mess. Actually, his question presented a wonderful learning opportunity as we talked about why a gift means more when it costs us something. From there we talked about the value of the gift that Christ gave us, costing Him so much pain and even His life. When it came time to go to the store, there wasn't any hesitation about letting go of that hard earned cash (okay not really that hard earned - I think I overpaid them so they could save enough in time). Dave took both Hadley and Caleb on separate occassions to the Dollar Tree to pick out just the right thing. Caleb was a bit more secretive and made Dave walk away while he picked out his gift and checked out, but Hadley wasn't too worried if her daddy saw what he was getting in advance. They picked out really thoughtful items too. Caleb bought Hadley a set of new fairy wings since hers had broken, a __________ for Reid, and a __________ for his daddy. Hadley got Caleb _________, Reid a __________, and Dave a ___________. Though they didn't shop together it was funny when I opened my gifts because Caleb had gotten me a journal and Hadley a pen. Caleb said I could use it to write down Bible verses and ran to get my Bible so I could get started.

Typically, we are rushed Christmas morning to get through our gifts and head to Granny's and I was worried that this year would be even more stressful since Christmas landed on a Sunday. I remembered the last time this happened when Caleb was little and we had to make a mad dash to Granny's to scarf breakfast up there before heading to church. This time we decided to do it a little differently though and wait to visit family until after church. Did it mean that we'd miss out on the great spread Granny makes in the morning? Yep. Would everyone still be there when we got there? Maybe not. Still, for our sanity, it was a MUCH better choice.

We had time to open things leisurely and play with them a little, get dressed, take a few photos, and make it to church at a reasonable time. Aside from me being a bit frustrated with Caleb, who being a stinker, purposefully closed his eyes in most of the family pics we tried to take (telling me after the fact), the morning went very smoothly. We were prepared for worship instead of in a whirlwind.

Having church that morning didn't seem like a burden like it could have been if we'd been rushed. Honestly, it felt like such a blessing to be able to spend the morning with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It really set the tone for the day.

We we finally made it to Granny's afterwards, there were still plenty of folks still there and some leftovers to fill our bellies, so it was all good. The kids played with their cousins and opened a few gifts from Granny and a couple other family members. Things aren't quite the same with out my dad there, and as our extended family grows we are pretty much never all there at the same time, but we enjoyed those we did get to visit with that day.

Typically, my mom hosts a gathering for her side of the family some time right before Christmas. Right now though, my grandparents' care is requiring she live with them most of the time and tend to their needs on a daily basis. That said, she wasn't able to host anything or even decorate her house for that matter this year. It was the first time she didn't put up a tree, and we didn't celebrate the holidays in my childhood home. My Aunt Susie did still host a party a week or so ahead at her house for whoever from that side wanted to get together, but we had too much going on that day and decided sadly it was best to skip it this year. Still, Christmas evening, we did at least get to celebrate with my mom and grandparents at their home. Mom had put up Grandma's tree, and they'd made an incredible dinner. Our quaint evening together was a nice way to round out the day.

Reid loves Aunt Courtney and her little dog, Penny.

Granddaddy and Danny

Aunt Courtney bought the kids blankets. Caleb, a shark; Hadley, a mermaid tail. and Reid, a fish.

After supper, there were a few more gifts to be had before heading home. The kids were so patient despite seeing that mound of presents in the living room.