Christmas 2012

We had a simple Christmas this year.

Anton doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore.  I'm glad about that because while it was fun when he was younger (we love fairy tales and developing the imagination...if you have read my other posts you know that already) it just seems like when they get older, you have to come clean and stop the madness.

Last Christmas he started asking questions and I told him the truth.  Just to clarify, we always said "Santa Claus is just pretend, Jesus is real"   So, I asked him if he really believed Santa was real, because I always said Santa is pretend, and he said he did believe he was real and didn't seem to connect that I said he was pretend (like what is "pretend" anyways?).  I figured out that even though I said that, in their world, if they get presents under the tree in the morning, Santa is real.  (So, my way out is:...sure Santa is real, we're Santa!)  Anton was glad I did tell him the truth instead of trying to prolong the "magic," but he's also glad we played Santa for a while.  We still said this year, "go to bed so Santa can come."  Now he knows who Santa is.  It is fun.

I love to decorate.  I'm particular about the tree.  I love a classic, retro style with German blown glass ornaments and tensil, and big lights.  I normally hang lighted garland all over the place but I only did a few windows this year.

this picture is actually from a few years ago.

Chris and I have started new family traditions since we've had Anton.  One of these is the Advent Calendar and have a family devotional for each day leading up to Christmas.  However, with our trip, that got pushed aside.  But I did read out of a wonderful book called, The Miracle of Christmas.  It explains the birth of Christ and why He became a man, and also some of the traditions surrounding Christmas, like Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, cards, etc.  It is very interesting.  I particularly love the amazing story of the wisemen and how they knew to follow the star in search of the Messiah.

Anton and I did some crafts.  We made paper snowflakes and a dangerous one:  we melted colorful crayons on an old wine bottle to make it look like it has had many candles in it before.  I still want to do one or two more crafts I found on Pinterest.

Since we went on a recent trip, I told him that was a big Christmas present.  Even though the ship boarding pass, meals, etc., was paid for, we paid for a few tours and we bought him some snorkel gear and beach toys, and you know...all those incidental expenses!

Christmas Eve we have a tradition of opening one gift to each other.  Over the last few years it has been board games.  After dinner we play games until bedtime.  Chris got Scrabble Flash.  It is these 5 electronic cubes that communicate with each other and you can form words from the letters.  It is amazing.  I got Pop n' Drop Penguin (like Trouble but with a twist, the Penguins can get knocked off a bridge, it is really cute, but cheaply made game, not as boring as Trouble can be.  I don't have a photo, but here's a link at Amazon.).  And Anton got a classic game called, Labyrinth (can see in photo).  He loves mazes, since we studied Greek Mythology, so I thought he'd enjoy that.   We really liked that game, it is so different than any other game I've played.

From Santa (Christmas morning), Anton mostly got educational games that are fun, that we could use for school.  And also a few just for fun toys.  He seemed very content and thankful and said this was the best Christmas ever.  I think I lowered his expectations when I told him he was getting much because of the cruise, so he was surprised.  I'm glad he's content and happy boy.  I don't indulge him with a lot of presents during the year, so this is the one time a year to spoil him!  and blame it on Santa!

Peanut got a cat toy for Christmas

Christmas Eve dinner we had steaks that Chris made, and we went to a candlelight service at our small church in Katy, TX.  It was a nice evening.  This year, I didn't do a lot of baking and I'm finally set free from the tyranny of all that, because I'm really trying to watch unhealthy junk food eating.  I think this was the simplest Christmas I've had.   Funny because I've been pinning all kinds of great recipes on Pinterest, and lusted after many of these things but ended doing little baking and just kept it simple.  (by the way, you can follow me on Pinterest :O)

Christmas day I made a Rib-eye roast.  I never made a Rib-eye roast before, but followed the directions for a pot roast that calls for chuck roast.  It came out pretty good.  Christ loves rib-eye but I think I prefer a Chuck roast, or rump roast.

On Christmas Day, we also went to see the new movie/musical, Les Miserables.  I really don't recommend it for kids Anton's age, except Anton is pretty unique in that he loves the story already and he can handle the drama.  I had to hide his eyes in a couple of scenes (like the entire song of Master of the House and when Fontine gets at her lowest point)    How did he come to like it?   I think he saw me watching a few You Tube clips from the 10th Anniversary Concert.  He loves "The Stars"  (Philip Quast version!) and has it memorized.  I also have a children's version of it and he is fascinated with the character, Javert, and why is he the "bad guy" if he's a policeman?  Aren't policemen good?  And why did he kill himself?  Some serious questions.  So, he made a costume from an old jacket of mine and pretends he's "Javert."   But don't worry, he isn't thinking of harming himself :O)  He just likes the drama.  This has been going on for months, then the new movie/musical comes out on Christmas Day  I'm glad he has a great heart for God and grace that comes through the story.

Anton as Javert

So, that was our Christmas.  Hope you had a wonderful Christmas also, celebrating our Savior's birth.

Favorite Christmas Movie

I'm sick today with a cold, so instead of school we had another blow-off day.  Thought I'd share a favorite short Christmas movie that Anton and I watch traditionally this time of year.  It is Beatrix Potter's Tailor of Gloucester.

I love this video production because the animation is like the watercolor drawings in her original books and the voice-over actors are just great.  If you a little time to watch, hope you enjoy it too.   You can see the other parts on You Tube, there are 5 parts and the whole story is 25 minutes.

Enjoy the magic and wonder of the season, most of all that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1).

Caribbean Cruise, December 2012

I'm so proud of Chris.  He hit his sales goal last year, 2011, and won a trip for us to Caribbean.  They paid for Anton's way as well.  We are so thankful.  We were gone from December 2 - 9, left out of Galveston, TX.  We just got back.

It doesn't seem like Christmas now but I'm glad I put up decorations before we left.

It was Carnival Cruise, on the Magic ship.  We stopped in Jamaica, Cayman Island and Cozumel.  We had so much fun.   The cruise is geared to a more Spring Break or party crowd, but we found our places on the ship to have a great and relaxing time.  It is so nice to not have to cook meals, and do whatever we want.  

Lessons learned...invest in a waterproof camera.  I thought I'd save money and bought a plastic protector, it worked fine but I think taking the camera out with wet hands ruined the camera.  It is just best to have the right camera for those memories.  Nevertheless, I managed to get in a few pictures and videos.

It was so educational for Anton also, to visit new places (and for all of us!).  We studied the Mayan Indians and there we were in the Yucatan Pennisula.  Also, Anton remembered some things about starfish he had learned from watching educational TV programs (he was teaching me :O)

 view from the 10th deck looking down in glass elevator.  This ship was a beast.

 ship had a water slide and ropes coarse that was fun for Anton, and us old folks tried it also.

Jamaica (Montego Bay).  We toured Rose Hall, a
sugar cane planation that had a lot of interesting history.

Here is a You Tube video of Johnny Cash's song with a little tour of Rose Hall.  

we're approaching the sandbar after about 15 minute boat ride.

the water becomes more shallow, looks like swimming pool.

the dark areas are coral.

 Stingray City tour, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

This stingray is a mommy with about 3 pups in her tummy.
I'm congratulating her :O)
she was so sweet.  our guides were great.

 This is a stringray wound from feeding a little boy stingray, they don't have teeth but can be aggressive feeders.

 I picked up a starfish from the bottom.  yay me.

this is the view from our balcony as we left Cayman

we joke about the Mayan end of the world,
that we had a talk with them.

fun picture, the pirate on back is on stilts, the one in front
is supposed to be a puppet on strings.  such mean faces!

 Anton found a baby conch in Cozumel Island, Mexico.

Anton finally got to build a sand castle on the beach.  new experience.

We were starving, ate at a restaurant near the pier.

took this picture right as we were disembarking Cozumel at sunset.  

formal night picture of us from dinner on the ship