Tis' the day after Christmas

Tis' the day after Christmas, and all through the house
The children played with new toys and wore new clothes
Mom wondered if it would be a crime to take down the
tree before Epiphany. Not that many ornaments remained
on it anyhow. One battling a tummy ache from the sugar consumed.
One battling a cold but much milder thanks to ginger tea and kefir.

Enough of that. I'm definitely not a poet. But the day after Christmas is a bit of a lazy day with lots of play and a few chores to get all the boxes and wrapping paper out the door and find places for their new treasures. I've already done a load of dishes this morning and I still have more to do.

We did have a great Christmas. Christmas Eve mass was such a treat. James was Joseph. He received a compliment of being so polite. David was a wise man. He carried the wine which of course made me very nervous but he did great! Katie Rose was a beautiful angel but chickened out. I knew it was a long shot. But seeing her participating in the practices was definitely a step forward. John Micah was the one and only sheep. He was precious. Joseph slept through it all.



Christmas Day was full of gifts and good food. My husband was thrilled with the menu for Christmas dinner with ham, homemade mac and cheese, parsnips, green beans and sourdough biscuits. All his favorites. I wish I could say that I was a fabulous wife and planned it that with that purpose but it just fell together with what I had on hand and noticed on my grocery shopping trip. It was such a hit that I might just make it the standard Christmas dinner at our house.

I had great plans for dessert with a pomegranate cake. Unfortunately, my mixer decided Christmas was a great time to go on the fritz. It looked like a Pinterest fail for sure. If I did it again, I think that I would simplify it and make it in a bundt pan. Put the pomegranate topping in the middle and frost the outside. But to be honest, I think I should probably stick to what I do best which is heartier cakes like carrot and apple. Those I do really well. Anyhow, I piped Jesus' name on the top and we sang Happy Birthday.

I'm using this post-Christmas Day time to make some notes on what I would like to do next year. I would really like to do new pajamas as a Christmas Eve tradition. I want to include an Our Lady of Guadelupe Tea along with our Jesse Tea. I never have chocolate angels because I can't find them. I'll keep a list for ordering some items especially more gluten-free options for next year. I would like to have a Happy Birthday Jesus party with a real gift for Jesus.

My mom gave me a Thomas Kinkade planner for Christmas. It fits well and matches my purse. I love it. So while all the ideas for Christmas are still fresh. I'm going ahead and scheduling the family celebrations for next December. I've also made a list in notes for Jesse Tea ornaments so I can be searching for ideas throughout the year.



I'm starting lists in my Cozi app for each child of ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts to look for and make throughout the year. I would worry about them opening my planner but Cozi is a little harder to get into. I have several ideas that I need to gather materials for and having the lists with me all the time will allow me to find the things I need throughout the year.