We Got Jolly

Christmas has come and gone, but I'm just now sitting down to load the pictures onto the computer and reflect on Kyle and my second Christmas together.  Perhaps our only real Christmas tradition is making and decorating sugar cookies.  I received some very festive cookie cutters for my birthday so we were fully equipped to bake away.

Keeping with tradition, Kyle gives this activity two thumbs up.

Trees, stockings, candy canes....

...and a turkey!  I got this for Halloween and forgot to make the most of it at Thanksgiving.  It's never too late to enjoy a turkey.

Trying to maximize cookie cutter to dough ratio

Behold our decoration center!  This frosting tasted like marshmallows~yum!

A few members of our completed cookie community

Now we owed our families a good bit of face time since we were abroad last year.  In the midst of celebrating at both my family & Kyle's family homes, we were able to get a little time to ourselves for a Christmas Eve feast followed by movie time with It's a Wonderful Life.

Kyle takes the temperature of our roasting friend.

Our little duck may not look like much food to you, but let me assure you this is too much for two.

That happy man is ready to dig in.  We also prepared some roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a broccoli salad.

We had tons of gifts under our tree again this year.  I always marvel at how much we're able to get each other and those we love on our budget.  Kyle is very savvy about savings, and we made sure not to go over the top with our shopping.  In spite of it all, it's like we miraculously receive more than we give.  It's nuts.

This tree is so much happier with a full skirt of wrapped presents!

My family gave this to me for my birthday.  Our nativity definitely completed our holiday decorations.

Christmas was terrific, too, but I fear my retelling of trading presents will be as tedious as a home video of childhood Christmas mornings.  We had a really stellar week hanging out with family and enjoyed being back in the mix for my family's annual New Years outing.  We get all dressed up and eat at Schillings, a little place on the Marietta Square.  Then we come home and pajamafy (that is~get into our pjs) and watch the Twilight Zone marathon until it's time to watch Dick Clark countdown to the new year.  On a side note, doesn't it just kill you to see him in such bad shape?  When will they decide he'd probably feel a lot more comfortable at home in bed?  Poor fellow... 

There's the fam looking fancy!

Well, all good things must come to an end.  We returned to our apartment yesterday from our travels to visit family to find that our tree had given up on us ever coming home.  It took the dive...

Poor tree~ we didn't mean to leave you alone in your most important season.

The saddest face Kyle could muster over the death of our Christmas tree.

With a great sigh of relief, we found that none of our precious ornaments were harmed in the crash.  It makes me think that the tree didn't take a violent tumble, but rather, gently laid itself down for a long winter's nap.  Now that Christmas is behind us (and our tree is safely nestled into its box), bring on 2011!  It's going to be a big year!