It Was A Holly Jolly Christmas!

Christmas day was a magical experience at our house this year. Not only was this our first Christmas in our newly built house, but my family all came to our place to help break it in! We had such a great time! Our family goes all out at Christmas, which makes it really fun. My Aunt Cathy made the "wedding punch" she served at our wedding almost seven years ago, and that almost made me cry. David's opening prayer was so warm and sentimental and reminded us of what Christmas is all about- Jesus Christ and His birth! I love my fam'!

My dad and I. I can admit it- I am a complete daddy's girl!



My mom and dad.



David and I



Our tree on Christmas day. Every year, we say we aren't going to buy a lot of gifts, but this year, we failed miserably! : ) It is just too much fun!



My mom and I- she is almost 50! Doesn't she look good?? : )



Rachel, my cousin works at the mall at the Cookie Factory. She made a cookie cake for all of us! It was beyond huge! It turned out so cute, Rach! : )





My dad and David cooking together. David made the turkey and mashed potatoes and let me sleep in until 10:00 a.m. Christmas day. He is the best!



Rachel is ready to eat!







My mom and cousin, Rachel. We are all a bunch of blondes! : )



David and my Aunt Cathy- she loves the cook!



Mom and Cathy- sisters.



Rachel and I


My granny, me, Aunt Cathy, and Aunt Heather




Rachel and my girl, Bichon!



Our deck was a favorite place to hang out. My aunt and uncle, Cathy and Tim, and my dad and I.



One Christmas tradition we have is the lighting of candles. Every year, we play a song that talks about remembering the ones who are gone. We light candles in their memory. It is always a really quiet time to reflect on loved ones who have passed away. We take turns and say out loud the person's name and something we love and miss about them. We have a lot of traditions, and this is one of my favorite!





I made Rachel a friendship frame.



My Aunt Cathy and her family took towels and made robes! They had them monogrammed! Sooo cute! I plan on taking mine to our cabin in Colorado this Spring break. They are very plush and warm.



Mom and I modeling our robes.



Me opening a gift from David. I am shocked at what I see!!



Beverly Hills 90210 the Third Season! Ahhhh!!!!



Cathy opening her "B" I made for her.



David played Santa and loved it. He made everyone open their gifts one at a time so we could all watch. I have a small family, and he has a big family. This is one major difference during the holidays. It is nice having the contrast.



I made custom frames for all the gals- here, Heather models hers!



My granny collects shoes. Her guest bath is done in hott pink and black with touches of lime. She has a lot of cute shoe stuff in there. Here, she opens a cute shoe picture holder.




David giving me a really pretty blue and brown body form for our master bedroom. I have been eyeing it at Lowes for weeks now.



Mom monogrammed kitchen towels for everyone. I love the red "M".



Mom and dad gave us, as a couple, a gift card to Lowes. We are thinking of getting a glass front door, or a few area rugs. We are not sure yet.



I bought David a chess set. He LOVES chess, but I am no good! I really want to learn, so we can add that to our list of hobbies. I found this set at the mall and it says the name of the piece and shows arrows, so that you can know which way it moves. We played last night and it was great.



My mom got my dad Battleship. The boys pose with their new games. Boys and their toys.. sheesh... : )



Rachel got David some cologne from Abercrombie. He loves Fierce.





David does so good with gifts! He is much more creative than I am with his gift giving. He went to the Pink Papaya, a day spa, and got me some really nice Aveda hairspray that he knows I would never buy for myself.



I painted several ornaments and gave them to family members. Here Rachel models her "Tilly" ornament.



My mom bought dad a new drill.



David and I bought Rachel a Visa gift card. She is getting harder and harder to buy for, so this is a great gift for her.



My mom with the frame I made for her.



My parents bought Bichon a new dress!! It adorable with a capital "A"!! I love animal print.



Granny with her frame.



I got David and my dad track pants. David loves lounge pants for the house.



David and I bought my mom a new red ski coat. She looks so cute in it!!



My parents bought David some Houndstooth shirts. David can't resist that Houndstooth cart! He is sucked in like a magnet!





Cathy found a cute red toile hatbox for my guest bathroom.



My mom stocked my craft room with bags of ribbon.



spools of ribbon....



a sewing kit and cloth diapers to make cute burp rags...



and a new craft book for ideas.



David and I missed out on my dad's family's Christmas because it was the same night as David's family. W hated missing a Christmas, but we were just so overbooked. We received several great gifts from that side of the family. One was some new Clinique face wash. I LOVE Clinique!



David, Rachel, and I



Our family outside for a family pic. The sun was bright!!



My little family- David, Bichon, and I. I am so happy being the "three" of us. I am blessed with a great life.



My parents with David, Bichon, and I. I love my family. They are a blessing.



I hope you and yours had a Holly Jolly Christmas this year! We love you all!