...After Christmas

We just took the leaf out of the table, and we are staging dishes for the dishwasher and the quiet ordinary is starting to reappear. I can see how a week from now we will all be much more settled to be back into our routine.

Sean has been home for an unusually long break, and it has been nice to have him be among these days. It makes these days feel less like my usual days with the kiddos and more like holiday.  So, without a lot of reflection here are my observations on the last couple of days.

• Kids on holidays are like kids on other days.  

Duh duh duh.  But while we were waiting for our amazing waffles to be finished we had to feed our "friendly beasts." And while we were opening presents jealousy and moodiness were emotions hanging around in the corners of their kid selves.

• I don't believe in anything like a war on Christmas, but I have to say I kind of get it.

 For our family Christmas is a religious holiday and all around us are commercial marketing of "Christmas" that has NOTHING to do with the religious celebration of Christmas but fully the commercial marketing of Christmas.  I am all about diversity of holidays, except for the holiday of consumerism.

• It is amazing to see your kids enjoy a gift that you chose for them. 

I can comprehend how gift giving is a way that some people share with others that they love them.  It can be really wonderful to see someone you love unwrap and enjoy a well thought out gift.

Miriam calls this her Cindy LooHoo nightgown.

• We really need a new vacuum.

I mean "really need" in a totally bougie way.  But I spent a lot of this break sitting on our living room rug and holy cow no matter how much we vacuum that sucker the vacuuming isn't effective.  So I guess that is going to happen soon.