All That's Merry (And Nothing More)

The start of the holiday season came all too quickly.  Rather than take an entire day trip to chop down our tree in the country, we opted for a different weeknight trek-- down Market Street to the neighborhood tree lot that benefitted Delancey Street Foundation.  

Despite being right in the middle of the city, the men working there managed to make the corner lot equally festive with lots of whimsical touches.  Our rule was: our ability to carry the tree would determine the size we could get.  Between Linus and I we managed to bring home a 6 foot tree.

On the weekend we began trimming the tree and decorating the house. While the photos look happy, much of the time I was screaming at the boys trying to get them to calm down.

The following day we made good on our annual pepperkakor and gingerbread house traditions.

Throughout the month we enjoyed small doses of holiday joy.  The Civic Center put up decorations and a larger, less crowded ice skating rink.

One evening we went on a family date to the Conservatory of Flowers to experience Night Bloom.

While the boys ran around like crazy in the dark, Magnus managed to fall and knock his head really hard.  Nauseated and tired, we suspected a minor concussion and let him rest outside in the lights while the rest of us walked the exhibits inside. Less than 90 minutes later Magnus was back to himself.

On the final Sunday of Advent Mattias took the boys on an outing while I had a glorious 3 hours alone to pack and clean the house.  As we were getting ready to spend the holiday in Milpitas, we also had to pack for our upcoming trip to Mexico.

Our Christmas Eve was simple and beautiful, with both sides of our family celebrating in the Swedish tradition. While all the boys no longer believe in Santa, they all requested a visit from Jultomte (their dad dressed as Santa) just for old times.

 

We kept it simple with the gifts this year, requesting no more than one gift per boy from each of the grandparents.  Surprisingly they kept their word, but there were several choice gifts meant for the boys to share.

Christmas day we celebrated at my parents' house, where we did round two of "Nailed It!" Japanese candy edition.

After eating way too much food we played a white elephant gift exchange where Anders was the big winner with my mom's custom succulent planter.

By night's end our stomachs were overly distended and we were all exhausted.  Our time was spent well together. Not lost on us was how fortunate we are to have both sets of parents alive and healthy, and that we all genuinely enjoy each other's presence.  By focusing on observing traditions, giving to those less fortunate, and creating memories, not buying and receiving stuff, we hope to instill in the kids the true joy of the season.