Christmas Eve and Christmas Day went really well for us in 2020!
We had BBQ chicken with sweet potatoes, asparagus and broccoli. We decorated the table with several nativities and special placemats. I also made some special Whole30 brownies that quickly became my favorite dessert. The boys like them, too!
After dinner, we acted out the nativity. We added a backdrop with various set designs made by my scarfs! It was super fun and we got a lot of it on video.
Tanner and Dallin filled each other’s stockings with special presents for each other, and this time they wrapped them up! Then, they went off to bed pretty well. Jeremy and I had fun setting up their surprises from “Santa.” They had a smaller spread this year, with little fun things and a their own tablet for playing with music and math apps and games.
This year, I was especially grateful that my kids have always known the truth about Santa. Remember, the pandemic had gotten worse in December, and all government officials were pleading and ordering people to not visit in each other’s homes for parties and Christmas dinners. The issue of allowing Santa into everyone’s house came up for a lot of kids and parents–but not for our family! Honestly, it was kind of nauseating reading all the ridiculous ways that parents and government leaders were trying to explain why Santa would (or would not) be allowed to come into our homes during the pandemic. SO GLAD that I did not have to spend any energy on such a silly issue with my kids.
The boys did their traditional wait at the top of the stairs for their presents and then when we gae the green light, they came running down to see their surprises!
The tablets were a big hit!! The boys made tons of fun songs and remixes on it with the apps that Jeremy got for them. They loved it.
But as the weeks went on, it unfortunately became a big problem because the boys (especially Dallin) figured out how to hack the parent safety locks and get onto youtube and games that we don’t allow. So after a few weeks of that power struggle, we had to reclaim their tablets.
They also got a lot of science books from us to use during the year of homeschool. Luckily, those we did not have to take away from them.
Dallin was excited to give gifts this year. He was so happy for Tanner to open his stocking and see the gift that Dallin found for him. It was a pedometer.
Dallin could hardly wait for Jeremy to open the gift that Dallin found for him. He kept mentioning it every day leading up to Christmas. Dallin was beaming as Jeremy opened the gift, and he had to help Jeremy because he just was not opening it fast enought! It was BYU socks!!! Dallin was so proud that he had thought of this gift and actually found that it existed! It was a really magical and joyful moment for him to finally give them to Jeremy.
Dallin was also really proud to find a special scarf for me for Christmas. He convinced Jeremy and Tanner to help pitch in to buy it for me and they agreed to let me open it a few weeks before Christmas.
INSERT SCARF PHOTO HERE
Other gift highlights included new socks for Tanner, which was an incredibly big deal because Tanner is very particular about his socks, and the ones he liked weren’t available for a long time.
Jeremy gave Dallin a set of scriptures from his mission. This was to help Dallin prepare for his baptism, which occurred the following May.
Tanner’s gift to Dallin was a long labor of love. Tanner spent about a week or so creating a treasure hunt for Dallin with old English writing, a scoring system and codes. The hunt took Dallin all around the house and outside. Finally, it was a special comic strip that Tanner had created for him and some pool toys since Dallin really loves going swimming.
Special money origami from cousin Carly.
Gift from the Hoof cousins
We had our traditional Christmas morning brunch that included crepes! I don’t think we did eggs benedict this year. I had alternative recipe for my crepes and it was delicious!
We zoomed with the grandparents to open up more gifts.
Scarf made by Nana for Dallin was a big hit.
That afternoon we did our tradition to make a birthday cake for Jesus. Jeremy dripped a big blob of frosting on the edge, so I created a border that made it look like it was on purpose. We took the cake and some delicious brussel sprouts and a salad to the Hoffmeisters house for a Christmas Day dinner.
It was pretty exciting to be invited over to Jeremy’s boss’s house for Christmas dinner. Their food was delicious and we had a fun time getting to know each other better. We shared in a lot of the same sentiments about schools not reopening and how to help our kids during the social isolation during the pandemic. We sang songs and played with some instruments that I brought over. The kids had a lot of fun singing the 12 days of Christmas with the picture cards. The boys were in heaven playing in their playroom with all the legos. It was a really lovely evening!
The next day or so, we had a fun time making a gingerbread city! I couldn’t find any kits at the stores because lots of products were out of stock or on back order due to the pandemic, (which is still a problem!) so we made them out of graham crackers and homemade frosting. We used left-over halloween candy and old cereal that went stale. I was really impressed with how creative we got! Jeremy made an apartment building (to help provide more affordable housing). Dallin made a little shack. I made a nice single family home. Tanner and I worked together to make an amazing library.
We relaxed a lot during Christmas Break. I kept the kids doing some simple school stuff. Idk what this picture is though.
Before we knew it, it was New Years Eve! We played some fun games.
Then, we did a countdown with the drum kit and had a dance party. I banged really really loud on the drums. It was very therapeutic to bang out the frustrations of 2020 and move on to a new year.
A ninja turtle showed up to the dance party!
On New Years Day, Jeremy and Tanner rode their bikes to Mission Beach, which was about 14.5 miles! They got some yummy treats and then rode the bus back home.
Dallin played in our newly organized Lego closet in the boys bedroom.
Finally, I am done blogging about the year 2020!!