166. Christmas preparations as a joy instead of a chore.
167. The smells of baking.
168. Getting up early on Christmas Eve morning to run to the grocery store and finding it empty of shoppers so that I can wander aisles, alone, Starbucks in hand, enjoying myself immensely.
169. Waiting in line at the post office and hearing "Your children are the best behaved I've seen all day long!"
170. Then hearing, "Why don't you come up here to the front of the line? We've all been there with little kids. You probably need to get them home and none of us are in a rush." Then having an entire line of ten people wish us Merry Christmas.
171. Apple pie baking.
172. Tackling my first ever from-scratch cheesecake.
173. Deciding NOT to go to church on Christmas Eve.
174. And not feeling guilty about it.
175. Beautiful women of God, my mother and my sister, going through life with me.
176. A kiss by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.
177. Remembering that it has been 10 years since we celebrated our first Christmas together.
178. He drove through a blizzard in the Dakotas in an old Chevy Lumina.
179. He still gives thanks for my Uncle Glen who pulled his own car out of the warm garage to pull Brian's non-block-heater-ed car in.
180. And then Uncle Glen barbequed him a steak. At 11 o'clock at night. In a blizzard.
181. He pulled into Calgary the next day, with an entire car full of presents.
182. It was our first Christmas Eve together. We've never been apart since.
183. Seeing that he is starting to get some grey hair at his temples.
184. A family Christmas Eve at my sister's house.
185. Seeing Mt. Baker rising in the distance, pink with the setting sun reflected on the snow.
186. How Joseph adores my mother.
187. Anne making up songs.
188. "Jingle bells! Jingle bells! We have presents and pie!"
189. Papa directing the band while she pirouettes.
190. A good supper of appys and dessert.
191. The fact that my sister and her husband did almost all of it.
192. Including cleaning up.
193. Opening the pressies from the Aunties on Christmas Eve.
194. My sister and I always opened our giftie from our Auntie on Christmas Eve.
195. So we've decreed it's a tradition. And our tinies open the gifts from their Aunties on that night.
196. Anne got her first Barbie. I'm not sure about Barbie anymore, despite my childhood-long love affair with her. But the look of joy on Annie's face, the look of joy on my face and my mother's and my sister's face put the concerns to bed.
197. Playing Barbies with my own daughter at last.
198. Opening Joseph's gift to discover Mr. Potato Head.
199. Realising that Aunties buy the coolest gifts ever.
200. The two hours of quiet I received the next few days, as they each played with their Auntie-toys.
201. Curling up to read a story about Christmas every Christmas Eve.
202. My husband and my mother, so alike.
203. The first Christmas morning with her really "getting" Santa.
204. Bedhead but beautiful.
205. Christmas jammies.
206. Packing up all of our gifts on Christmas Eve just to drive 10 minutes to Granny and Papa's house to all open pressies together.
207. The tradition of Adam making Christmas breakfast.
208. The fact that my sister calls his casserole "Slater Delight."
209. Addison's little toothies.
210. The way she eats her food, mouth wide like a bird.
211. Her weird laugh: Huh huh huh huh.
212. The hand knits under the tree for my babies.
213. Joseph's little gnome-hood for his new red sweater (made by moi).
214. Anne's heavy new sweater that was tossed aside because I still haven't sewn the buttons on it yet.
215. Gifts from the heart.
216. Like braided rugs and musicals, hockey tickets and books.
217. An afternoon at home, with napping tinies, to watch "Love Actually" together.
218. Phone calls with far away family.
219. The smell of sweet potato casserole and corn casserole baking.
220. A rested and quiet day without frenzy or noise.
221. Getting into our Christmas best together.
222. Anne's Christmas dress and Joseph's Christmas sweater, two beautiful healthy babies.
223. Driving to my mum and dad's house together.
224. Walking through a red front door to open arms and the smell of turkey.
225. Working in the kitchen with my mother and sister.
226. Anne and then Brian saying grace over the meal.
227. The men cleaning up while the women look after the babies and relax.
228. Changing into my jammie pants and ORU sweatshirt which I have had since 1996.
229. A beautifully arranged table of desserts.
