Christmas morning started much too early.

The little people didn’t care. But Junior and I thought it was a bit of a stretch to call “6:00 am” morning. 🙂

[Opening gifts]

Arrow: It’s a scooter!

Archer: No, it’s not.

Arrow: Buddy! It’s the same box size and everything!

Archer: I know.

Arrow: And Sander and I got a scooter!

Archer: Yep.

Arrow: So yours is a scooter, too!

Archer: [turning to look Arrow dead in the eyes]

Archer: No, Arrow. I don’t get scooters for Christmas.

It was, indeed, a scooter. He was shooketh.

After gifts & church that morning, we met up with my family again. Sander has mastered the terrifying skill of sleeping with his eyes open:

Now, you saw the blog title. lemme explain.

Every year someone in my family chooses the Christmas theme and my Mom decorates accordingly. We’ve done this since I was a wee kid. This year was Kylee’s turn, who chose “Crytid Creatures”. I thought that was really going to give my mom a run for her money.

But oh man she came in clutch!

Check out these Cryptid Creatures in the treats:

I forgot to grab a picture, but my mom gave each family unit a microwaveable yeti. It’s a snuggly heating pad if that makes sense. (Sort of ironic in concept but v cute and v handy for sick kiddos!)

Mom, you’ve done it again. You never cease to impress us!!

Then we headed to our last Christmas gathering of the season at Taylor’s parents’ home.

There was a roast that was probably delicious but I was distracted by desserts:

We watched a kids’ retelling of the Christmas Story.

Taylor and I took turns snuggling our baby nephew ❤ ahhhh those chunky cheeks!

Archer & Arrow performed a Christmas song that they had learned from their Sunday School teachers:

Then, Christmas Day faded into the ambiguous week before New Years.

Lots of playing with new toys, hiking off the Christmas candy, and cleaning up so much package waste that America has banished us from consuming anything ever again:

(Seriously… why is there SO much packaging for such simple toys???)

But I digress. Christmas 2022 was a beautiful season. Grateful to have captured it all.