Hello!  I hope that you all had a fabulous Christmas and were able to enjoy time with friends and family.  I know that the Monday after a holiday can be a little bit of a bummer, so I thought that I would share pictures with you of my Christmas celebration to cheer you up.  There are even pictures of cats, so they are automatically better!

 

Adam and I have started a little tradition by celebrating our own Christmas after actual Christmas.  We spend the day in our pj’s watching Christmas movies, opening presents, and making delicious food.  This was our third year doing this and it was one of the best!  

 

 

Our Christmas tree and the stockings hung by the (faux) chimney with care.  Plus the first of many pictures of Olaf.  It was his first Christmas and I think he loves it just as much as I do.  Our other cat Dot wanted nothing to do with the festivities and slept in the bedroom all day long.

Speaking of cats, of course they have their own stocking and we fill it with new toys for them.  Olaf actually managed to get all of the stuff out of the stocking all on his own.  He liked the laser pointer and this yellow stuffed dog the best.

 

 

He’s pretty adorable.  Us humans open our presents over the course of the day.  Every time we start a new Christmas movie we open another present.  I would say that this year was a good year for both of us.  Adam got a new beard trimmer, a t-shirt, books, and candy.  I got a new teapot, oven mitts, and books/cookbook.  Apparently we both think alike because our big gifts to each other were new bags.  I got Adam a new leather messenger bag for work so he could look all fancy and professional and he got me an awesome new black purse that is much better than the bright orange paisley tote bag that I have been using for the past few months.

 

 

The other fun part of our Christmas is making a bunch of food that we don’t normally make.  This year we made pretzels, which were really easy and fun to make.  I also made some fried plantains and egg nog, devoured before I could take pictures.  For an appetizer I made spinach/artichoke dip without any dairy (so good, I’ll share the recipe soon!), and we had some pumpkin chips to dip.  Then for Adam’s dinner I made slow cooker italian beef and he made homemade buns.  I had some delicious butternut squash seasoned with some new seasonings I got from Adam’s side of the family.  It was an awesome feast!  There were also a variety of cookies and treats for dessert!

 

 

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I really love that Adam and I have been able to start some of our own traditions.  On actual Christmas this year we were able to spend the day with both sides of our family.  We started the day with my parents and my sister and her fiance and then headed over to Adam’s grandparents for Christmas dinner and were able to see his (many) aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as his mom and his stepdad.

Overall it was a fabulous holiday.  We were able to spend time with so many family members and shared and made plenty of new memories.  My heart is full and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings!  Have a great rest of the week and Happy New Year!