Santa has left the building

Um. Xmas is over. Not officially, I mean there are about 5 more hours of the actual day left, but for me, it's definitely over. We had dinner at my house for the first time ever. It was nice. It was quick. And there were lots of dishes to clean. But now it's over and I have to admit that each year my Xmases get less and less exciting and I've been trying to figure out why. But I already know why, really. There's no more mystery. No more wondering what Santa is bringing or what is wrapped in the pretty and glittery paper. The Christmas trees are no longer as tall as the ceiling and the stockings are no longer stuffed. There's no more surprise.

Spending time with family is fun and one of my favorite things to do- but that doesn't only happen on Xmas. So I guess you can say that for me, Xmas has gone out the window.

Wait. There is good news. There is a new meaning to Christmas and her name is Reese. I can't wait until she gets to the point of understanding Christmas. She is only 4 months old at this point, but since she is the cutest thing in the whole wide world, I just have to throw gifts at her from every direction. I didn't actually give her a gift to open, but I did make her a Christmas stocking. I grew up with a homemade stocking and I felt it was important that she have the same experience. Knowing that my grandmother made my stocking always made things feel more special, and I have to admit that I looked down my nose at other kids who just had store bought stockings.

Reese got to wear her very own first ever Christmas dress today. She had white stockings with a ruffly butt. She somehow managed to direct all of her spit up onto my sweater and her dress is still super clean. That truly is a Christmas miracle.

I am including a picture of her because there is no such thing at looking at her too much. I have decided that in order to restore my lost enjoyment of Xmas I will just have to live vicariously through her. I've got a good 18 years before she is an adult and that's quite enough to keep me excited.