Apel Christmas

Christmas Eve is just as big of a deal as Christmas Day is for us. I hardly take photos. The lighting is crappy on Christmas Eve because it's so late. The lighting on Christmas Day is crappy because it's so early. - Thanks to Mica; he's my early to rise kid.

Christmas Eve:

We dress up to go to church. I have to be honest - we're not typical church goers. Then we go to my parent's house to eat soup, shrimp, cheese, crackers, and more. We open gifts after that.

While we were getting the food on the table the boys played their instruments. I thought at first, Oh God help us! Someone is going to get annoyed they are playing. My Grandpa and Aunt Becky loved it. They don't get to hear them play at school. Mica plays the trumpet, Isaak plays the violin, and my nephew Evan plays the flute.

It does seem like emotions run high during Christmas time. Someone gets pissed off at something. That night seemed like it worked well.

The food was great like always!

My big gift was a genealogy kit, which I still need to read over. Both boys got a big Lego gift. Travis got some cargo pants he's wanted.

We got home about 9:30.

Christmas Morning:

I heard coffee being made at 4:30. It was Mica. He was sitting on the love seat reading a book my sister got him the night before. I said, "Go back to bed! It's too early to be up!" He said, "I can't sleep." You'd think with not believing in Santa that he'd be ok with staying in bed. He's always been the first to be up on holidays and weekends. We have a rule that he has to make coffee before he does anything else. Ha!

He did go back to bed, but not to sleep.

I messed up an item in one of their stockings. One got something the other was to get. I'm pretty sure Isaak doesn't believe now, but he pretends he does. 

Mica's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks,  gloves, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys

Isaak's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks, a leather wallet, a gold harmonica, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys, and a few sewing cards he thought were a joke 

I thought he'd enjoy the sewing cards.

Isaak did grump a lot when he found out he didn't get a drone. My goal wasn't to mess up his Christmas. He felt like I was trying to. 

 Travis loved this manly apron I got him:

We ate cinnamon rolls my mom makes us every year.

We went to my Aunt's house for Christmas Day.

Some of the food I brought:

My Aunt Becky has Mica and my nephew Evan help give gifts to the little kids. Most of them are my cousin's kids:

Isaak was a bump on the log with taking pictures:

We didn't get any snow until the day before Christmas Eve, and it's been flurrying and bitter cold since. I'm ok because it is winter. I am more of a summer girl! My Mom drives me batty because she posted that she's ready for spring now that it's snowed. When summer gets here she complains about the heat. I want my birthday at a park, and she flat out won't do it because it's too hot! 

I guess Omaha, Nebraska has been the same temp as Antarctica, just cloudier. It's been popping up on people's facebook posts. 

How was your Christmas if you celebrate it? Has it been super cold where you live?