An ALMOST ~ Wordless Wednesday... ;)

This year, our Christmas celebrations started late in December.

...rather than just after Thanksgiving in November.

 

I was a bit concerned that we wouldn't have time to do enough...

and that by NOT doing all of the traditions which we normally do,

 

it wouldn't even feel like Christmas.

But of course, IT DID. :D

And we still got to walk down town Coeur d'Alene and look at the lights.

They were beautiful, as always.

I so enjoy this tradition...

even though my family won't slow down enough for me to get them into focus at night. :)

Aren't the lights beautiful? :D



I loved taking these photos...

We went to the mall on Sherman street.

I love the decorations in that mall!

and so I took lots of photos... :)

Lots of photos...

But still not enough, because we still did not get a family photo! :(

And there were things we did that we have no photos for ...

Like baking cute little plates of goodies to share with a couple of neighbors and friends at a nursing home.

But Christmas was still in the air... despite not having a family photo,
or photos of our Nursing Home visit or cookie plates.

The kids got up while it was still dark ~ just like they always had from the time they were little.

(Levi made sure of that! :)

(...watching Levi's bug crawl around on the floor ~ a gift from his bro!)

It was a really wonderful and peaceful day!

This year we actually had breakfast BEFORE opening gifts

(a sign that the kids are definitely getting  "have definitely gotten" BIG; don't ya think?).

So the sun was close to beginning to rise by the time we started opening gifts.

Levi announced in laughter...,

"Hurry! If the sun comes up before we open gifts,

we'll have to cancel gift opening until early tomorrow morning!"

I never realized until now that it was a tradition to open gifts before sunrise! Shows what I know! ;)

I love my family! :D

 We had a wonderful Christmas celebration!

Miles scored big points by getting me a jewelry box that hangs on the wall and has a photo collage on the front of it... two favorites in one, and I don't need a shelf for my jewelry box! ;)

Oh yeah! Great job baby! ;D 

 OK. Enough is enough. No more photos... I'm tired of loading! ;O Besides, I already told you the best part about our Christmas day in this blog.

Until next year!  :D