Well, Christmas Eve was a busy day this year with Grandma and Grandpa arriving midday, prepping dinner for Christmas day, sugar cookies to bake and ice, the Lefers dropping by for an impromptu visit and an evening gathering at Carmen's house to toast to the holidays together. Mom's arrival was almost thwarted by a last minute fall and 22 stitches in her leg on Monday, but even that couldn't stop her from spending Christmas in New York. Since it worked out with a family in our playgroup who just happens to live on the floor below us, they've been staying close by and the extra bit of room has ensured we're all getting our space and down time in between activities. By the time we made it back home on Christmas Eve it was already past 9:30 p.m., so getting the kids in bed quickly was a priority. Santa had a lot of work still to do, and none of it started for almost an hour so things ended up pretty late that night. I think I finally crawled into bed around 1 a.m., and slept blissfully until Carolina chimed up around 6:30 a.m. We managed to keep her in bed until 7 a.m. and then it was time to wake Elisa. Yes, we had to wake our big girl who would still be rockin' 12 hour nights if she wasn't having to adjust to little sister's schedule all the time. Oh well. Christmas morning is worth waking up early for, right?
In keeping with tradition, the girls got to unwrap their sister presents early on Christmas Eve. This year, I opted for an Ariel/Little Mermaid theme with two costumes (Carolina's came with a tea set) and a copy of the movie on dvd. It was a big hit and Elisa didn't want to take off her fishtail gown all night. Carolina preferred the Rapunzel nightgown/dress she got on Christmas day, but all in all, costumes were a definite highlight of the holiday. These girls really love dressing up and Elisa is constantly telling us to come to their room for a show. She loves dancing and jammin' out to my playlists on iTunes, especially when I add songs like "Let it Go" (the Demi Lovato version) from the movie "Frozen." That's our latest jam and I have to say, it's a pretty catchy song. The princess dream castle for their big Christmas present from Santa has been a huge hit since they've actually played with it together on a number of mornings. We're entering that age with Elisa which was the one where I as a kid could sit for hours and imagine scenarios with my dolls that rivaled the Real Housewives of Anywhere. So much storytelling and drama pouring out of my head into the fashions and poses of my dolls. I don't apologize for giving my girls the same kind of toys. In my mind, Barbies and feminism are not mutually exclusive. Besides, there's such a short time in our lives when play is really just play, devoid of the politics of gender and equality. I hope they will enjoy it. Christmas wouldn't be the same if we didn't sometimes indulge in our heart's desire. This year princesses reign. Long live the princesses!
1 comment:
We loved the FROZEN movie. It's the first one we've gone to as a family. And Anna got the soundtrack for Christmas. I admit, that gift is one I'm glad to share :-)
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