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christmas.day
The big day has come and gone. The wonder and excitement on the kids faces, the warmth of family conversation, and a good meal help to put a stamp on every Christmas season.
Sometimes, when the day is done, a wave of sadness hits knowing that one more year has passed, one more Christmas for our little babies, one less Christmas with the being so little. I know as New Years approaches many people take time to reflect on the year and what lies ahead, and it is natural to feel a yearning for time past, for time to slow down. Those feelings hit me hard this year, with knowing Natalie will be 10 (10!) already next year and her single digit Christmas days are in the rear-view mirror. But then I look at the excitement our 6, 4, and 2 year old have, and know that there will be many, many more special Christmas memories, and while they may be different as they grow, they will still be cherished and beautiful.
Santa was very generous this year, but with 4 little ones, we were pretty happy that our house wasn’t completed overloaded with presents. The girls got a new Barbie House, lots of new Barbies, American Girl dolls, sand art, and lots of fun games to play. Cameron saw his day filled with excavators, big and small, a new red tractor to ride on, and lots of rough and tumble toys to play with.
We always do an aromatic breakfast of uncured bacon, scrambled eggs, orange juice, and some form of bread (this year we had Pillsbury Crescents) after all the presents have been unwrapped. Tom has had that tradition since he was young, as have I, and it is amazing how smells can trigger your memory – to this day, the smell of bacon & eggs reminds him of Christmas morning.
Since the kids were little, we have hosted our family at our house, so upwards of 20 people or more can show up. This year, the gathering was a bit smaller, but still north of 12. We had two hams which went in the oven shortly after breakfast and slow cooked for about 4 hours, just in time for a 3:30 dinner call. We also made 10 pounds of mashed potatoes, 12 pounds of green beans, and 10 pounds of corn. Needless to say, there was plenty of food, and plenty of leftovers to send home with everyone.
Another fun tradition we do in our extended family gathering is “now you have it, now you don’t,” or some variation thereof, to add some fun to the evening. This year, we did a pass the potato style, with everyone passing their gift until the music stopped. At the end, everyone had a shot to trade their gift with someone else prior to unwrapping. It was a lot of fun, and made for some great memories.
As we close out 2021, and say goodbye to another wonderful Christmas season, my wish for you is that you have many memories of Christmas, and many blessings for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!
jess.
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favorite.tradition.
As the big day approaches, we continue to check major milestones off of our “must do” list for the season. Of all the traditions, one of the simplest but most special is our annual Christmas light hunt.
It really is as simple as it sounds. We pick a day on the calendar, wait until dark, get our comfy PJs and some hot chocolate, possibly make a quick detour at Starbucks, and put on some of our favorite Christmas tunes, and drive around the streets, neighborhoods, and towns near our house for a night of Christmas joy.
Tonight, we sampled new music from Ed Sheehan and Elton John, timeless favorites like The Carpenters and Neil Diamonds Christmas Album, some 98 Degrees, Mariah Carey, Polar Express, Ben Rector, and more. We do our best to sing along to every song we know by heart, and muddle through the ones we don’t with gusto.
It did seem that more houses were “dark” this year than usual, and our hope is this is a temporary malady caused by the strains of the past two years. Even though some homes weren’t fully in the spirit, we did catch a full light-show spectacular at one home that included a radio station tuned to the lights, with lights timed to TSO, Alan Jackson’s ‘Let it Be Christmas,’ and more.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, our beloved Chocolate Lab, Brody, turned 13 today. We celebrated him with a birthday serenade, silly pictures, and special dog bone treats to help him ring in the new big year. Our other dog, Milo, also has a big day coming up, turning just 14 in a few short weeks.
Even though dog years has our dogs pegged as “seniors,” they still provide us with lots of fun and enjoyment. We are thankful for the years we have gotten to spend with them, and are hopeful that we still have some years left before they leave us.
With only 48 hours until Santa starts his special flight, we pray that everyone stays safe, healthy, and gets the chance to enjoy this Christmas with full hearts.
jess.
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5 more sleeps.
So at this point in the year, things are wrapping up (no pun intended) quickly, and the excitement and anticipation of Christmas has taken full-on hold of the house. Morning calendar movements and chocolate calendars, Charlie the Elf hiding spots, Christmas movies and even board games have pretty well taken over daily life at this point.
In addition to the usual fun, we had the chance to visit Dutch Wonderland, a kids theme park designed for the very small and the small at heart crowd, complete with festive lights and a very cold afternoon and evening. Those two elements helped to reinforce the season nicely, as the so-far mild December weather has been a bit of a damper on the usual chill Christmas air.
Can you believe it is only 5 sleeps until Christmas morning? Each night, as the kids fall asleep, I try to think back to my childhood, and reminisce about that feeling, that special childhood excitement that comes at this time of year. Is it just about the prospect of gifts? Is the the cookies? The songs? Candy canes? Outings? Clearly, the season of Christmas is all of these things and more, wrapped up in a shiny, twinkling package that can be just as exciting for adults as for those precious children currently snuggled in their beds.
Earlier in the season, we made a short-list of “must see” movies this year, and it had the usual suspects, like The Santa Claus, Home Alone, Elf, A Christmas Carol, Charlie Brown, The Grinch, and the Polar Express, but has also expanded now to the likes of “Christmas Chronicles” and “all Hallmark movies” (which is a big number). While Cameron and Autumn will sit some, the movie watching is definitely more geared towards the older girls, who loves to stay up after the little ones go to bed and hang with mommy & daddy to watch a show or movie.
We have gotten through most of the movies on our list, but Charlie Brown, The Star, Home Alone 2, and maybe even Miracle on 34th Street still beg of our time. What Christmas classics does your family have on their must see list, and to that end, which ones have you saved for the final run-up to Christmas?
In spite of all the bad news in the world at this juncture, our goal with this blog is to stay positive, light, informative, and hopeful. We are hopeful that this post finds you well, not too stressed, and exciting for the final few days of this joyous season.
Wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas season.
jess.
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somebunny is four
Today we celebrated Autumn’s 4th birthday. Our sweet, sassy bunny loving little girl came to us on a cold December evening 4 short years ago, and although time has gone by in a flash, she has blessed us with so many memories, laughs, and special moments.
I have always loved planning, decorating, and throwing kids birthday parties. There is always something special about seeing a theme come to life, and more importantly, seeing the enjoyment through the eyes of our little ones.
Autumn has been a bunny lover since she first found her bunny “lovey” in her crib at a few months old. That bunny has been by her side day in and day out every day since, and it was only natural for us to have a “somebunny” party. My first big find for the part was a custom bunny tutu set on Etsy – commissionable link here.
You also can’t overstate the importance of finding a good, reliable bakery to help bring your vision to life. We discovered our bakery over 8 years ago, and over 20 birthday parties later, they still continue to come through for us with good looking, great tasting cakes. We have had some elaborate cakes over the years, but we went more with a simple design this year with some fancy flower accoutrements aided by some paper bunny face additions. We have also tried many different combinations of cake flavor and icing/ mousse flavor, but of this classic bunny cake we went with a simple vanilla cake & icing combo.
Since Autumn doesn’t attend school yet, we kept things simple with just family this year, and as such, didn’t have the elaborate party setups we have been accustomed to, but still tried to have a classy, fun atmosphere to celebrate in an intimate setting.
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dinner & a show
The Christmas season keeps rolling on! Last evening we had the pleasure to do dinner and a show – Miracle on 34th – at Dutch Apple Dinner Theater. A typical central PA buffet style meal accompanying friendly wait staff and a nice, welcoming environment made for a good meal for us and the kids.
The real star of the evening, though, was the show. We visit Dutch Apple from time to time, and have see two other Christmas shows there over the year, but this year was special in that the girls’ best friend had the lead role, Susan, for children actors.
It was really special to watch one of the girls’ friends come out of her shell and shine on stage beside many skilled actors and hold her own. It was also good for our girls to her up on stage with the spotlight, owning her moment and the hard work that it took to get there.
Besides Susan, Kris Kringle and Doris (Susan’s mom) were standouts in front of a full house. Overall, we had a great evening with food, song, dance, and a pleasant environment. Highly recommend the facility for a low-key (or high-key) date night.
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the christmas show
We started going to the Christmas Show at the American Music Theater in Lancaster about 10 years ago. Our first show was just Tom & I, before kids, and an instant tradition was born. I still remember telling him after the show that this was something I wanted to do every year, and that I couldn’t wait to get to do this with our “future” kids.
Flash forward ten years, and this weekend we toted 4 kids, including two very active under four year-olds, to enjoy what has become one of our favorite traditions. While COVID changed our plans last year, this annual constant in our schedule has been such a fun event. For those of you who haven’t attended, people come from all over the mid-Atlantic to see the show. Broadway style song and dance, classic Christmas costumes, a usual fun spin on Santa’s visit, and even some North Pole fun with elves (and this year Penguins?) makes for enjoyment for all.
As any parent knows, shows like this can produce some anxiety filled moments for parents. In an audience filled with lots of “kidless” theater-goers, we have come to roll with the punches and come prepped with snacks, end-row seats, and emergency exit strategies. Cameron was our biggest concern this year, as a 2 hour show is a loooong time to sit still for an active toddler. He did as well as can be expected, alternating between my lap and sampling the various snacks strewn across our row. The big girls really seemed into the show this year, as I caught them mouthing along to songs they knew and clapping with authority after songs.
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away. Crossing this tradition off of our list is one more sign that before long, Santa will be taking flight and beautiful presents wrapped in paper and bows will make it to our home. With all the hustle and bustle in life, especially during the holidays, it is more important than ever to take time to enjoy the little moments we collect along this journey, and days like today included many of those moments that add to our Christmas story, which we continue to write one day at a time.
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shop.my.look
it’s no secret that fashion has always been a passion of mine. From shopping trends, to nails, hair, and makeup, fashion & beauty have been a big part of my life. One of the reasons I decided to start a blog and go public on Instagram was to share some of that passion and knowledge with the world.
As luck would have it, in addition to this blog, I have a terrific new outlet for this: Like to Know It, now known as LTK. Started as an influencer tool, LTK allows me to post my looks, like the on above, and link it to the actual products (or if not available, the closest ones we can find) with stoppable links. This provides for a quick, seamless process for you to see the same brands I am wearing and even make purchases.
You can get to my LTK page via the “SHOP.MY.LOOK” link at the top of this page, and be sure to check back often for app exclusive content. In addition to my outfits, I will be posting stoppable links for decor, makeup, and also family/fitness oriented products. Even though I may earn small commission from purchase made through the site, the main reason I started this whole endeavor is not driven by monetization, but instead an outlet for a passion and skillset of mine that gives me great joy to share.
So go ahead, check out my LTK page: here. And be sure to check back daily for new fashion trends, home decor, and chilren’s/men’s fashion.
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believe.in.santa
So I had the idea a few weeks for us to make a video where Tom transitions to Santa and I transition to an Elf or Mrs. Claus.
We sketched it out, did some scouting, and finally the day arrived for us to put our idea to life.
The whole process, from start to finish, has been a blast. Natalie gave us a creative cue up from with a question bout what “mommy and daddy” do when you (we) go to bed. That questions triggers a dreamlike experience, which me turning to Mrs. Claus and Tom transitioning to the big guy.
Overall, we had a blast filming it. We dance in our “dream sequence” to Meghan Trainor’s I Believe in Santa, a catchy pop tune fitting for our transitions. We also have a great blooper reel of Tom having his hat falling off, and then shimmying afterwards to the beat.
Both posts are live on my instagram as we speak @ fashionmeetsjess.
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christmas.decor
Deck the halls! As you can tell, Christmas is magical time for us. Included are some snippets from our home this year, which include homey touches, clean lines, and bright whites contrasted with earth tones of green, red, and saffron.
Like what you see? Stop on by my shop at LTK: here : to shop these looks. More looks added daily.
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special.day
It isn’ often that I get the chance to have one-on-one time with the kiddos. Today I spent time with Natalie headed to school, and although brief, was such a special time for me. As our oldest, I still remember a time not that long ago where it was only her to spend time with. Having more children is such a blessing, and I wouldn’t change it, but it is still important to get some time, even if just a few alone with them each.
Photo includes a shoppable link above. Medium red in boys fits our 2 y/o perfect
