We celebrated the morning over at Papa’s house with a huge, delicious breakfast. The kids rolled down hills, ran around the yard, played with new friends and shared their excitement with all. They took a nap when we got home and then prepared for the night’s festivities. Our tradition is to get dressed up in our very best, go to the Flynn’s house for a homemade pizza party, and then head to the Ponte Vedra Inn for some caroling. Isla looked like such a little lady in her black, velvet dress, Leo sported his penguin shirt proudly, and I wanted to eat Palmer up in his blue dot overalls…
My three children (I still can’t believe they are mine) were ready for the magic!
After a little sprinkling of reindeer food (i.e., oatmeal, sprinkles, and glitter) we were off…
The pizza was delicious as usual and the parents enjoyed wine and great conversation with old friends. Palmer’s favorite part of the night was the paper plate that found its way to the ground.
Down at Ponte Vedra, Isla and Leo met the REAL Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They had been hiding here all along. Santa even told Isla he parked Rudolph out on the beach. They were beyond thrilled to meet the jolly old St. Nicholas. They must have sat talking with Santa and Mrs. Claus for a good 10 minutes. Santa even rang his sleigh bells for Leo, who was extremely tired but wouldn’t have missed this moment for the world.
Palmer had been sleeping but woke up just in time for the Christmas Caroling we look forward to all year long. Our family keeps getting larger each year and we took up practically the whole seating area…Heather, Brannon, Isla, me, Palmer, John, Leo, Ava, Mom and Dad soaking up the night.
Uncle Tommie, my Dad’s youngest brother, even joined us this year…
Loving on my Christmas angel before we headed home and tucked the kids in for a long winter’s night.
And then it came…Christmas was here! Oh, the joy, Oh, the wonder, Oh, the happiness that filled our hearts that day. A day filled with family and love that warmed our souls to the core. I can’t express how much I loved every second of our Christmas this year. Maybe it’s because we added one more to the crew and maybe it’s because I felt this overwhelming feeling of “this is exactly where I’m meant to be.” Whatever it was, it was perfect and I filed the memory away forever. I’ll pull it out whenever I’m feeling lost, or stressed, or sad, because it was a day that reminded that there may be hard days, but it’s a lovely life!
Merry Christmas! Love, The Halmans
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