Christmas 2012

The turning of the year is always a really busy time for our family. I know this is true for almost everyone, but with Christmas, Dustin's birthday on December 30th, New Year's, and Theo's birthday on January 2nd, I really feel the pressure.

Despite the extra effort, Dustin and I really love Christmas and try our best to make it a magical holiday for our children as well. It is still a bit strange being in a country where you have to work on Christmas, it is more of a date night than a family holiday, and the normal traditions include eating fried chicken and cake. Dustin took Christmas Day off from work so that he could spend it with us and the next day everyone at his school asked if he had been sick. They had all completely forgotten that Christmas was on the 25th!

Last year we borrowed a little tree from our neighbours who were out of the country. This year we finally decided to get a tree of our own and ordered one online. Yes, it is artificial, but it is 1.8 meters tall and not the little miniature trees that are usually for sale here. I just love the cozy atmosphere that comes from setting up a glowing Christmas tree. After about a day or two of having his hands slapped, William finally caught on that the goal was not to tear the decorations and lights off every time he saw it.

Theo dictated a letter to Santa and then wrote both his and his brother's name on the bottom so he could leave it next to Santa's snack of cookies and milk. I am not sure why William looks so depressed in this photo. Maybe he is having last minute worries about whether his behaviour this past year got him into Santa's good books.

To prevent the children from pestering us about presents or tearing into them before Christmas morning, we always hide them away until they go to sleep on Christmas Eve. Here is our tree after the presents have been pulled from their hidey holes and placed under the tree for discovery the next morning.

Theo had a lot of fun impersonating Santa and William added a new word to his vocabulary: "Ho, Ho, Ho!".

Christmas morning was full of smiles, noise, and energy

which quickly turned to quiet, absorbed playtime with new toys

We invited our friends who have become the children's Japanese grandma and grandpa (obaasan and ojiisan) to enjoy the day with us. This was their first time to experience a typical western style celebration of Christmas. 

After a fun morning of presents, apple cider, and playing we had a wonderful Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, veggies, and pumpkin pie. It was a very relaxed and wonderful day. 

Celebrations

Normally Dustin would not get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off of work, but this year both fell on a weekend so we were able to really relax and enjoy ourselves. We were also lucky enough to be able to borrow our neighbours Christmas tree, since they would be visiting family in the U.S. during Christmas. We decided against setting it up in advance, since we knew that William is old enough now to be facinated with it and try to grab every he can get his grubby fingers on, but not old enough to understand the word "no".  Instead, we decided to ask Santa Claus to bring a decorated tree when he came to drop off presents.

On Christmas Eve, we decided to try out our new nabe pot. Nabe is a Japanese dish where you heat broth and cook vegetables, meat, and seafood in it at the table. It was a warming and delicious meal which both boys managed to sleep though which was a bonus for Dustin and me. After, Theo woke up and had some leftovers, we helped him write a long letter to Santa, thanking him for the presents and telling him where to put the tree, and put out a plate of milk and cookies. After the kids were in bed, the real fun began. The tree was set up, stockings stuffed, and presents pulled from our many hiding spots.

The next morning, Theo was wide eyed and impressed with Santa's magical skills and we had a fun filled time opening gifts and chatting with family on Skype. It is amazing how quiet and well behaved kids can be when they have a few new toys to occupy them. This was the most laid back and relaxed Christmas that I have had in many years. There weren't multiple, large family gatherings to run back and forth to and only enough presents to make our kids happy and grateful, not unappreciative, greedy monsters.

Yesterday, we also celebrated Dustin's 32nd birthday. He didn't have to work, since the New Year's holidays started on December 29th. Here's hoping that the next year brings him lots of laughs, growth, peace, and happiness.

As an ode to Dustin over the years, here are a few rarely seen photos of him, most showing his amazing and very varied facial hair styles. Thank goodness that he feels socially obligated to remain clean shaven now!

There are a few things in life that Dustin truly appreciates: Mac products,

history,

building and paddling kayaks,

eating good sushi and experimenting with ridiculous facial hair, 

brewing and drinking quality beer,

ensuring Canada's safety while wearing gloves called "The Friskmaster 2000", 

a challenging bike ride or hike,

and most of all, his family.

We love you Dustin!