A Very Merry Christmas

I hope that your Christmas was as merry and sweet as ours.

I actually had a really hard time finding my Christmas spirit this year. I wanted it to be there, but there were unnecessary stresses, tragedies, and some very sad news about a beloved former student that made joy seem impossible. I was kind of nestled in this feeling of melancholy and just wanted to hold on to my husband and sweet baby for dear life.

But then something clicked. All of the stress and sadness could either get to me, or I could make the most of every day I'm blessed with and make the most of the holiday. I chose to do that.

What ensued was a wonderful first Christmas as parents AND husband and wife. Beau even went shopping for gifts!! Perhaps I pushed him out the door to the near-by mall with a "one stop gift idea list". In retrospect, it was a really good idea. I didn't expect everything on the list, but I knew he was at a loss as to what to get me. I tried to be specific without being demanding. My last item was something like:

• Really anything you give me melts my heart (cheese, ugh, sappy)

What found its way into my stocking?

Yep. Cheese.

Goofball.

MMMMM Jalapeno & Cheddar blend. His favorite.

But back to finding my Christmas spirit. Instead of a trip to Past, Present and Future, Beau, Little Man and I ventured back to West Virginia for a few days before the holiday. Remember when I told you we had a little something in the works? Well, it is still (painfully) in the works. (So no big reveal yet. Keep your fingers crossed, because things aren't looking great in that field.)

While there, I did get to experience winter storm Draco. (This California girl was chill-yyy!) The freshly fallen snow was absolutely stunning, even if the skies were gray and bleak. (I didn't edit the first photo at all, life just looked a bit like a black and white photo at the top of the mountain--maybe it was a trip to Christmases past...)

 

 Though I don't think Starbucks has been around long enough for that.

Anyway, here are a few more images from our holiday. As usual, I took few pictures of the meals, family or general mirth and focused only on the little person who is so much more photogenic than me*, or, say, the ham we ate.

 

*especially pre-shower, pre-caffeine, in my jammies as the first photo depicts. I'm not pretty in the morning, but my little guy is heart-breakingly cute 24-7.

How were your holidays, dear readers? Anybody else have a hard time finding the spirit until last minute? Or realize that a little bit of grooming is important when making memories?