So this is Christmas.

The pavlova is in the oven, baking, and the rolls are rising on the counter.  The roast is waiting its turn in the oven.  The girls are grumbling their way through vacuuming.  The stockings are still empty and thin on the mantle.  It's the lull before the storm.  Just enough time for a few stolen minutes to write about our Christmas.

These sugar cookies have seen some things...

For many years, we didn't have set traditions.  The tradition was to pack the kids and drive back to Arizona.  Christmas Eve with my mom, Christmas day with his.  They were good times.  Always something good coming out of the oven, the house so full of people that conflict was easily avoided.  Christmas Eve was spent with the adults staying up way too late wrapping last-minute gifts and telling ridiculous stories; Christmas day was a 5 AM orgy of presents and then a day of visiting over delicious food.

Somewhere around year 10 we had to start making our own Christmas.  While we still occasionally made it back for the holidays, more and more we've put our own brand on it.

The tree goes up after Thanksgiving.  It's been a hard line to hold, but it does not go up before no matter how much Aeryn begs and wheedles and threatens.  I put on the lights and the girls do the rest.  I used to take a more active hand, but I was micromanaging so that the tree actually looked nice and no one involved had much fun.  Now I only micromanage the delicate ornaments and leave the rest to the girls.  They rock out to Christmas songs and then I come appreciate their work after an hour or so.  It works for everyone.  At least until the 27th or so, when the tree comes down to much lamentation and complaining about killing the holiday spirit.  They should be grateful we have a tree at all. For years we didn't have one.  One year we had a paper tree for various reasons (mostly small children), and they've never let me forget it.  For the last decade we've had a respectable 7-foot prelit tree covered with golden glitter that sheds everywhere.  The top is permanently bent, the branches have drooped and 3/4 of the lights are out, but the glitter still shines, and when it's all Charlie-Browned up, it's even respectable.

We make so much food.  Mostly sugar, and I'm always surprised that hasn't been a bigger issue (*yet*).  We do a pavlova and a buche de noel, fudge, and so many gingerbread cookies. I remember making those cookies with my dad every year in a giant green tupperware bowl filled with nine batches of gingerbread he'd mix by hand.  I use my mixer, but there's always gingerbread and to spare starting the first week of December.  Dinner is usually a roast beef with mashed potatoes and rolls. The day after is leftovers and charcuterie because I am super done cooking, and the girls are super done washing dishes

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Every year there is a list of movies to watch.  On reflection, it's a stranger list than I'd ever expected, but it definitely adds some flavor.  There are classics like Garfield's Christmas, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (any and all, but always the OG animated), A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, A Claymation Christmas, A Christmas Story, Klaus, and It's a Wonderful Life (the freaking best one).  We do some sweet ones with The Messengers and other Chosen-affiliated shorts, and While You Were Sleeping. Then there are the slightly more raucous ones, like Just Friends, The Holiday, and Last Christmas.  Batman Returns and Edward Scissorhands are where the list really starts going off the rails, but The Conjuring 2 is the weird-ass cherry on top.  I don't personally watch that one, but my older girls like it.  Occasionally Gremlins or The Santa Clause sneaks in, and once in a blue moon we watch one of the really terrible Hallmark style movies like Hot Frosty or A Knight Before Christmas (neither were good but were fun to watch my girls react to).

Christmas Eve is our big day of festivities.  The actual day of Christmas always feels so anticlimactic, but Christmas Eve everyone is still riding the party-high of anticipation and holiday cheer.  We have our big meal, we watch our admittedly questionable Christmas movies, tell stories, play games, and any guests come then.  The girls do their Secret-Sister gift exchange. We read the Christmas story in Luke 2 and sing come carols, then chase the kids to bed late so we can stuff stockings.  The stockings always have a few staples, like a hairbrush, a drink, and new chapstick.  As far as presents, we also try to keep them largely practical.  One year the girls all got new bedding; this year they're getting towels.  We also do Christmas pajamas at varying levels of ridiculousness.  This year is low-key, just pants and a matching shirt. Next year is either going to be flannel nightgowns (including a nightshirt for Dad), long-underwear complete with a butt-flap, or shark onesies.  I'll keep you posted.

Christmas day we open presents and then have a long, leisurely day.  There's a quiet stream of Christmas movies on in the background.  The table has the leftovers out and a charcuterie board added for easy grazing.  We also observe Jolabokaflod, the Scandinavian practice of giving books.  It's traditionally done on Christmas Eve, but since we're anti-social we do it on Christmas day and spend the day snuggled up, drinking cocoa or kinderpunch (spiced juice from Germany) and reading intermittently.  It's one of my favorite things, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting some fabulous books this year.

And that's how we do it.  I imagine it will continue to evolve as our girls age up and life situations change, but no matter how or where we've celebrated it really is the most wonderful time of the year.  May it be the same for you and yours.

Duncan says hi.