Chicago Trip Part III/Christmas Part XIII

Oh Christmas Day, Oh Christmas Day... it finally arrived! Sassy was so excited to spring out of bead and run down the stairs to see if Santa and the reindeer enjoyed their midnight snacks (which, of course, they did). Nana, Graycop, and Uncle Rick helped Sassy and Little A open gifts, and we enjoyed two of our favorite Chicago breakfast treats- Swedish Flop and Irish Soda Bread from Jewel (my mouth waters at the thought of these lovely morsels)...

Sassy was very excited about her new princess barbies and her dress-up shoes. She was also quite fond of Little A's new rattles and board books. We hurried to get ready for Aunt Kathy and Uncle Joe's house. Once we arrived there, we got some very exciting news... my cousin Kelli has a fiance now! Kelli and Randy are very, very happy and I am personally so excited for them and grateful that she found such a great guy who is truly a perfect fit for our family!

We did our homemade gift exchange among the adults- I thought it turned out really well. My cousin, Mike, wrote the most beautiful story about family and framed it in various artistic ways for each couple. He housed his story next to three open picture slots in a frame for us, which is just perfect! We got painted wine glasses from Kaitlin, a personal letter to each of us from my aunt, pine cone Christmas ornaments from my mom, yummy Scotch shortbread form Uncle Rick, and a photo Christmas ornament from Kelli & Randy. Sassy and Little A raked in the gifts, of course. It took an expandable duffel bag to fly them all home. Sassy received a beautiful Cinderella dress, shoes, and tiara, so she spent most of the rest of the trip home as her alter ego.

We had a great dinner and a champagne toast later in the afternoon. Years ago, Uncle Joe started grilling beef tenderloin along with our traditional ham, and it has become a new tradition that I always look forward to. Also, we always have pierogies with Christmas dinner, and they are just fantastic. SO much better than the frozen ones you can buy at the grocery store.

Oh, yeah, I fibbed in my last post. Now why would I leave you all out of the girls returning home to tear into their Santa gifts. Christmas Part XIV will exist after all. But, first, you will have to hear about the rest of our Chicago trip. More to come...