Wife of the Year

Yep, that's me. You want to know why? This is why.
Merry Christmas to my cute husband and his new XBox 360 complete with Halo 3. He was totally surprised and so excited. You could say I earned a few wife points.


This is our Christmas Tree, I promised I would put a picture up. I think it is really cute, even if it is a little crooked and fake.














We did Christmas Eve with my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Tom and family. This is me and Emily and Brooke, my cute cousins, at Emily's house.
Cristian likes to experiment with the camera, hence the close up.

The next day we did breakfast with them at Brooke's house, and watched her cute boys open gifts. Then, C and I went home by noon, and didn't leave the house again. We opened gifts, watched movies, and ate. So great. We loved it. We had ham, scalloped potatoes, yummy salad, and apple pie made from scratch. Although, I am rethinking my time commitment in the kitchen on Christmas Day. It was too much. We may need to have a different tradition, like pizza, or something totally easy. But dinner was really good.

Epilogue about Christmas Traditions

I just want everyone to know, that the famed Riding family Christmas Eve tape that I was talking about in my last post has been immortalized on a cd by my brother David and given to all of us for our enjoyment. My Christmas joy is complete. Not so sure about Cristian's; it may take a little more than that, but I am happy. My love for the lazy Christmas Elf Dansel will be able to re-manifest itself, and if I am lucky, my children will feel the love someday too.
Merry Christmas, people I love. I will post pictures after the holiday.

It's Christmas Time!

I love Christmas. Everything about it. We just put our decorations and Christmas tree up on Friday, and it is so pretty. We are multi-colored lights people, since that is what we both grew up on. I love the soft glow they give from the tree when all the house lights are off. I will take a picture and post it, I promise.
I also love Christmas music. So much that by the time I am done listening to it at New Year's, I am kind of sick of it and ready to put it away for another year.
I love Christmas treats. I kind of have to put away my food guilt and say, oh well. I will be good in January. I don't stop working out, but when yummy food is so prevalent at this time of year, I have to eat it.
I love the season so much that, in fact, Christmas Day seems anti-climactic sometimes. Because then you have a week of weird limbo between Christmas and New Year's , then it is over.
My dilemma is, Cristian and I have not really established any traditions yet. I know we have so much time to do that, but I don't know what to do. All I know is what I did growing up with my family, and I love those traditions. But now Cristian and I are a family, and I don't want to just subject him to my childhood traditions with no thought for his. Besides, some of mine he outright refuses to participate in, like the old-school tape recorded from a record (yes, we are talking 1960's, people) that told a Christmas Eve story so little kids would go to sleep for Santa. We would listen to it every Christmas Eve before going to bed, and it became such a cult classic in our family that even as adults those of us who are together for the holidays will listen to the tape, quote everything, and laugh our guts out. Truthfully, it is kind of dumb, but we sure love it. I am also pretty sure that none of the men who married into my family have grasped the value of this tradition. Sure do wonder why.
Anyway, the only tradition he told me about was an advent calender; so I bought one this year. It is not the home-made felt one that he had ( and I had one too) but it will do.
Any ideas, anyone? What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions that you do with your family?