MERRY CHRISTMAS!
What an amazing holiday! We were so spoiled and there were MANY tears of joy. I don’t know that Hannah understood really what was going on…or how it was different from her birthday the week before…but she had fun playing with cousins and ripping up random scraps of paper. She has some cute new clothes, several new toys, and only two fading bruises even though she bonked herself in the head several times by trying to run while smiling at the ceiling or by popping the wheel off the sit-n-spin she got. She’s a fast learner, but she still falls down because she can’t see where she’s going when her head is back while she laughs like that. At least she’s able to stand up on her own now, so she doesn’t get as frustrated every time she falls down…she just gets back up and laughs some more.
Our parents were much too generous, and we are so well taken care of. Our clothes dryer broke down several months ago, and Jon’s parents offered to buy us a basic new one as their Christmas gift to us…they also offered to get it early so we were able to have dry clothes through all of December, not just after Christmas. Ahh…I’ve never appreciated the joys of soft, fluffy socks, towels and underwear more! My parents knew we were looking ahead and pinching some pennies this season, so they bought us gift certificates to Hale Center Theater for some date-nights to be named later, which was an amazing insight into our imaginary wish-list. We’ve got the theater schedule front and center on the fridge while we try and decide which plays we want to see most. It was my brother Mike who had our names on my side of the family this year, and he gave us a generous gift certificate to one of our favorite stores, Ikea, and we can’t wait to load up on more good stuff for our home. YAY! It’s really just amazing!
I thought long and hard about what to get Jon for the small budget we had allowed ourselves for presents to each other, and I think I did pretty well! Jon was quite sad to have to miss the closing season at Yankee Stadium before they tear down the old ballpark and build a new one, so I was able to find him a classic cap from his favorite team to commemorate the ending of that era. I also know how particular he is about being a French-cuff-shirt kind of guy, and I was able to find him some silver cufflinks shaped like cameras! They were perfect, and he loved them!
Despite my own pride in nailing my presents for Jon, I was thoroughly outdone by everyone else and their gifts to me. Jon’s sister Kim had my name and she went out of her way and had been scheming for what must have been months to get letters, photos, and quotes put together in the most beautiful book titled, “Lori and Hannah, Celebrating Motherhood.” I’ve looked through it so many times already…sometimes reading every line of love from both of my mothers, Kim, and my loving Jon, and sometimes just to smile at random pictures of me and my little peanut, but every time it brings a tear to my eye and I swell with so much gratitude and humility for the joy of being a mom as well as a wife, daughter, and sister. It looks like you CAN give the gift of love in a physical form, and it’s wonderful!
Finally, Jon cheated on the budget, by quite a bit actually, but I couldn’t be mad at him for it. Not only did he buy me two seasons of Gilmore Girls on dvd (huge sale on the entire series at Costco), which I love, but he saw one other thing that he couldn’t resist buying to put under the tree. James Christensen has been a favorite artist of mine for literally decades. I still remember my dentist as a child having a Christensen hanging in his lobby, and I never minded having to wait for an appointment because I would stare and stare at the fairies and the fish that were pictured in the most whimsical display of detailed artistic talent that I’d ever seen. Jon knew of my love of that artist, and when he read an article that Mr. Christensen was going to be in town for two days signing his new retrospective book, Jon just knew what had to be done. He found a deal for the massive volume online, but had it shipped to his parent’s house. His mom’s schedule got hairy, so it was actually Jon’s dad that took time out of his Saturday to take the book to the store. He waited in line, told his story to the artist, and secured me the most beautiful signature personalized to Lori by this amazing artist. I don’t know if Pa even knew who Jim Christensen was before meeting him, but he called Jon from his car and told him in an awed voice that it was one of the coolest signatures he’d ever seen…and I have to agree! Mom gift wrapped the book for Jon and then Jon snuck it home after Sunday dinner one weekend. I was speechless for half an hour after I unwrapped the present Christmas morning, and could only read out of the book, sharing the art and humor of James Christensen with Jon who had never really seen how truly gifted he is…just that I had fond memories and an appreciation for his work. Now we’re both fans, and I cry again when I look over at my coffee table and see that beautiful book that represents so much thought and support. My man truly is an angel for going through all that trouble just for me.
It really was such a wonderful Christmas!
Sounds like an absolutely fabulous Christmas! I think James Christensen is amazing also…I’m excited to see your book next time we’re over at your place. As far as Hale tickets go….did you ever see “The Scarlet Pimpernel”? Chellie was in it a few years ago. If you didn’t see it, I highly recommend that one….they are doing it again this year. It was amazing…and really, really funny. Fabulous music.
Well also had an amazing Christmas, sounds like we are two spoiled women!! It’s great to have good family and most important amazing hubby’s!!! Hope your doing well!
My autographed JC book is one of my favorites too – and he’s very nice, on top of all that talent.
Yeah for James Christensen!!! My mother in law got this book so I got a chance to look through it. It is so amazing.