Christmas 2012 Recap

Christmas with my family lasts for about a week (so it seems.) Christmas with my family is total CHAOS, with kids running rampant, laughter, screams (of both terror and surprise) and lots of cameras flashing. If you don't want your picture taken, don't come around my family. It's candid-photo mania! 


Christmas #1: Immediate family. Husband, mom, dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews. Total number of people: 9 

See the camera that's taking a picture of someone else taking a picture? You never know where to look (or not to look.)

Christmas #2: Extended Family: [insert same people as above] grandma, aunt, two cousins, cousin's wife, cousin's two kids. Total number of people: 16 (in an itty bitty house)

The one "look-at-the-camera-and-smile" picture. This was taken 3 times because everybody kept coming into the room with their footed pajamas on. I mean, who WOULDN'T want their picture taken in them?!

 Christmas #3: Low key, sans kids, and full of laughter with my in-laws = 5 people. Love it. Sadly, no pictures were taken, which is surprising, because my mother-in-law is a camera-happy person, too (opposite of my mom.) Only she likes less candid photos and more "look at the camera and smile!" Candid or posed, I'm down (and ready) for whatever. Anyway, we oldified and fatified ourselves; my brother-in-law can knit, and we Skyped with family in London! We drew names, so we weren't neglected to buy everyone a present, which is nice on the bank account. I drew my husband's name and my brother-in-law's. My husband also drew my name and his brother's name. We decided to buy each other TWO gifts. I'm not sure if this is because we love each other so dearly, or because we just wanted one to open early. Probably the latter because being the impatient couple that we are, we opened our gifts a day early. Okay, two. All right, I opened one of my gifts 10 days before Christmas. But that's okay, because it was A NOOK HD+! Just look at it! :)

He also bought me a new pair of casual every-day new balance shoes. I bought him a black Kavu jacket and...and...why can't I remember what else I bought him?! Oh, well, it'll come to me later. 

Christmas #4: Back to my parent's house with my dad's side of the family this time. We didn't do gifts, so it was basically a gathering with family we hadn't seen since last Christmas (and food, there's always food.)  There were more kids, more chaos, and more pictures. Total number of people: 16, but a different 16 than Christmas #3. Keeping up? No? That's okay, Christmas is over. You can pretty much stop reading, now - if you haven't already. I can get winded when I write.

Well, that sums up our first Christmas as a married couple! It seems every year goes by faster and faster and the holidays just come and go. Christmas was sneaky this year, and came out of no where. And for some reason I had a problem getting into the holiday spirit, but seeing my nephews get excited about everything helped. Maybe once me and the mister have some kids of our own the spirit will be rekindled. 

Next Christmas, we aren't exchanging gifts at my in-law's. Not because of financial troubles, or because we don't want to, but because my father-in-law pitched an idea that we all agreed on: We are going to "adopt" a family in need and buy Christmas gifts for them instead of ourselves. I think that's a great idea and encourage others to do it as well!

Anyway, merry (belated) Christmas, from the Hansons! (Not pictured: our two four-legged furry friends.):