Christmas Bucket List 2019 - What We Accomplished

The Christmas season flew by faster than it ever has before and I almost feel like we were robbed of the season a bit.  For starters, the season was shorter than usual due to a verrrry late Thanksgiving.  On top of that, I was sick for the entire month of December – three weeks with a bad cold and then eight days of some weird stomach virus – so I felt like I hibernated through much of it.  Thirdly, we had a bunch of rain at the most inopportune times, putting a damper on certain events and also causing us to cancel and reschedule plans in certain circumstances.  And finally, my grandmother passed on Christmas Eve. 

Our Christmas season was definitely different this year.

That said, despite my grandmother’s passing and the many other setbacks, we still found loads of joy in the season and I feel like I’ll look back on it with fondness.  We had twenty items on our Christmas bucket list this year and despite the fact that we had so much less time this year, we somehow managed to do every single thing on our list and then some.  It was definitely a whirlwind of a season, though, and I feel like I’m finally just now finding my footing after all of it. 

O N E – Finish Transitioning from Dark Red and Gold Decorations to Red, Green, and White Decorations… and Throw in a Little Bit of Pink

CHECK!  My transition is officially complete and I have a feeling that next year’s decorations are going to be an exact replica of this year’s.  I mean, could it possibly get any more magical than this mantle?!  Tour here.

T W O – Ramp Up Office Christmas Décor

CHECK!  I was finally able to fulfill my dream of having a rainbow Christmas tree and it exceeded my expectations.  I’m missing it already and I’m kind of regretting not just leaving it up all year.  Post here.

T H R E E – Angel Tree at Church

CHECK!  We sponsored a little boy and a tween girl this year and enjoyed shopping for them.  I hope they loved everything.

F O U R – 3rd Annual North Pole Breakfast / Elf on the Shelf

CHECK!  We had the best breakfast yet, and our elf, Cheek, was up to his usual shenanigans again this year.  This year the kids were determined to catch him in an "elf trap" so they made their very own out of paper, and by golly, they got him on the fourth night!  ;o)  Some other highlights were - he wrapped himself in a tortilla for Taco Tuesday, he toilet papered our Christmas tree, he got into my oils and picked out his favorite one (Peppermint, of course), and he taped himself to the wall during a game of "The Floor is Lava."  There was one day that the kids never found him and he ended up staying there two days in a row (Days 12 and 13), and you may also notice that he carried a slip of paper around with him for the last eleven nights... Olivia had written a sweet little note to him and he wanted to save it, so he kept it with him until he could return to the North Pole for good at the end of the season.  ;o)  Recap here.

F I V E – Winterfest at our Local University

CHECK!  We attended again this year with our friends and we had a blast.  We spent most of our time there waiting in line for the big slide, but the kids all agreed it was worth it!  Recap here.

S I X – See Frozen 2 in the Movie Theater

CHECK!    And it was fantastic!  I loved it so much I wouldn’t mind seeing it again in the theater.  Recap here.

S E V E N – Celebrate 12 Years Married

CHECK!  We didn’t do anything over the top since it was on a Sunday, but we did exchange gifts and we spent the day going to church and spending time with family.  We did manage to sneak in a couple of day dates together a couple of weeks later.  Recaps here and here and anniversary post here.

E I G H T – Breakfast with Santa

CHECK!  The kids love this event each year and it didn’t disappoint!  Recap here.

N I N E – Celebrate Maui’s Birthday

CHECK!  We had a little celebration for her complete with a special snack and a little gift.  We love our girl so much.  Recap here.

T E N – Christmas Tree Lighting Downtown

CHECK!  We attended this with my parents and brother and had the best time.  Recap here.

E L E V E N – Watch Favorite Christmas Movies and Find New Ones

CHECK!  Since I was under the weather for much of the season I feel like we excelled at this one.  We watched our typical favorites – Elf, Home Alone 1 and 2 (multiple times each), Love Actually, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, Serendipity, Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas in Rockefeller Center (live show), and many others, and we also watched several new ones – Klaus, Noelle, and B and I watched The Family Stone… I saw it when it first came out, but it was basically like watching it for the first time since it’d been so long.

T W E L V E – Annual Girls’ Scarf & Ornament Exchange

CHECK!  This year we changed it to a “Favorite Things” party and I enjoyed it even more.  Recap here.

T H I R T E E N – See The Nutcracker

CHECK!  It was probably my favorite weekend of the whole season!  Recap here.

F O U R T E E N – Fantasy in Lights

CHECK!  We almost didn’t make it due to the rain, but we managed to get there after Christmas!  Recap here.

F I F T E E N – Drive Around and Look at Lights

CHECK!  We never did one big night of driving around and looking at lights, but we did have three separate evenings where we looked a few – one evening in our own neighborhood (it’s pretty big so we saw a lot), one evening in a neighborhood in town that’s famous for having a lot of lights, and one night at one house on the way home from Fantasy in Lights… because it’s one of those high-tech computer-lit houses where the lights dance to music!

S I X T E E N – Visit with the Mall Santa

CHECK!  Our beloved Santa was sick this year, so for the first time since Jacob was born, our babies had to sit on a different Santa’s lap.  :o(  Recap here.

S E V E N T E E N – Indulge in Some Peppermint Mochas

CHECK!  I definitely had a few!

E I G H T E E N – New Ornaments for Each of the Kids

CHECK!  This year Jacob received a LEGO Santa ornament and Olivia received a Hatchimals ornament.  Their favorite things of the year!

N I N E T E E N – Send Out Christmas Cards

CHECK!  And this was by far my favorite card ever.  I love how cheerful and bright it is!  Details here.

T W E N T Y – Christmas Eve Childrens’ Mass

CHECK!  Unfortunately my Nana passed away while we were at mass this year so it was bittersweet, but I had a very special personal moment while we were there, and looking back it’s comforting because I think she was there with us.  Recap here.

And that wraps up the season!

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