A Thrift-Tree Christmas

We are so grateful that our move still left us close enough to regularly visit family. We were able to sneak away for the weekend before Christmas to attend the annual Excell Family Christmas Tea and Recital. 

I was on sugar cookie duty to keep the kids busy in the afternoon.

In the evening we did the nativity, a talent program, gift exchanges, and hot chocolate. 

How Mary is able to find so many coordinating jammies for so many different ages, I'll never know, but will always appreciate it. 

We had a few days off school before Christmas. The library is always my favorite place to start a school vacation. 

When the boys had burned through their books, they started making present towers as they dreamed up what could be inside each one. 

We did a special Night Light on Christmas Eve where we had the boys place all the figures of the nativity into the manger as we read the Christmas story out of the Bible. It was sweet. When they weren't fighting about who got to hold the wise men. 

With little boys tucked in their beds, Santa came! 

Cookies were eaten, milk was gulped, and a carrot was nibbled. The evidence is there!

We had a thrifty Christmas this year. I have been going to Goodwill weekly for the past three months trying to accumulate treasures. I've spent many afternoons at D.I. I also scoured Facebook Marketplace for Lego sets and other knick-knacks. By the time Christmas rolled around, we had one million presents, but I didn't feel at all like we had blown our budget. I was proud of my frugal endeavor!

Here are little people who were mad at me because I insisted on showering and putting on makeup before I'd let them bust through the wrapping paper and down the stairs on Christmas morning. 

Carson had been writing a Christmas list every week since July and always at the top of the list was "Donut Shop Opening," a gigantic Lego set that he had spotted in a Lego magazine as one of the new arrivals, and he couldn't get it out of his head. It was fun to see him get something he'd been wishing for, for such a long time. 

I was being funny one day and asked the boys what they were going to get me for Christmas. Carson said, "Well, what would you want? What do you even like?" I told him I wanted a dolphin, just to see how he would deal with that request. He immediately ran upstairs and started sifting through the Legos. He came downstairs about ten minutes later requesting a box, then wrapping paper, then tape. The next thing I knew, the first present was under the tree, addressed to me. I got my wish on Christmas, too!

The shocker of the year was a hoverboard! No one had requested a hoverboard, but I kept eyeing them, thinking of how much the boys would love to have one. Jeff found an awesome deal on one, so we went for it! Everyone has had a blast zipping around the house on it, and Eli keeps telling me he feels so spoiled that we got him a hoverboard. He has been very grateful this year for all of his gifts which has been warming my heart.

Carson and Lincoln got to work crafting some fuzzy monsters. This was a D.I. find and it was definitely a dud. But hey, for only $1.00, it was worth a try! 

Jonah loves Lego mini-figures, so he was happy to see Santa had brought a whole bunch. 

My favorite part about Christmas? The quiet that falls on the house while the kids settle into all their new toys. You can almost hear it. 

My sister has mentioned to me before that she always likes to have a project ready to complete the week of Christmas. With her kids occupied by all their new things, she can peacefully knock a few things off the to-do list. 

I had her voice in my head urging me to paint the pantry to match the rest of the house--a task I've been meaning to do, but have kept putting off. I busted out the paint the day after Christmas and I now have a beautifully organized (until a little someone spills pretzels all over) gray pantry! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good house project!