Christmas 2023

Christmas 2023 is in the books. It was a good one, but I’m kind of relieved it’s over. We almost forgot to put out our trash cans tonight, my husband thought it was still Sunday… 😉

December 23rd

Saturday my mom came up and we took the 13yo to get her nose pierced. This was her Christmas present from my parents. She did great. She picked out a nice piece of jewelry and told them where she wanted the piercing. She was clearly nervous, but handled it well. She was VERY excited to get it done. She loves the way it looks.

My mom took both kids back down to her house for the rest of the day and night. It was sunny out so my husband and I walked to lunch in the Mission. We tried out a new burrito spot that was very good. We did some window shopping and some real shopping. I got myself three rings for my three ear piercings, each slightly bigger than the last. I’ve been looking for that for a while, so I was excited to find it at a small, independent store.

We walked around the Mission for several hours and then walked home around 5:30pm. I worked out, then drove to pick up Chinese food from a favorite spot. We watched Killers of the Flower Moon since we had the 3.5 hours to see it all at once. I liked it. It’s not much like the book and I wasn’t sure how it would seem if you didn’t know all the stuff the book tells you. I found that really distracting. I LOVED the book. I think only liked the movie.

Christmas Eve

Sunday morning we had brunch at a new spot that had been getting a lot of amazing write ups. It was awesome. I have to say, three incredible meals out in 24 hours was a special treat.

We drove down to my parents’ house after brunch. The kids had been there for about 24 hours. They decorated Christmas cookies and saw a light show on Saturday. They were excited to do Christmas Eve on Sunday.

We went for a hike in a nearby park. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice time.

Back at the house the kids got to open one present each. My son opened his nunchucks. I got a pair too. We took a little class on them at the dojo holiday party and they were so much fun I got us each a pair for Xmas. We immediately took them outside to practice what we’d learned and try some new tricks. They are hard, but super fun to play around with. I hope my son sticks with them.

After dinner and a round of Dominion, we headed out to see the lights on Eucalyptus, two blocks of totally nuts Christmas decorations in San Carlos.

My family drove straight home after the lights and we put the kids to bed quickly. They were bickering a lot by the end of the night and my husband and I were feeling pretty done. We had been expecting a pretty smooth Christmas Day, but after Christmas Eve evening we weren’t so sure.

Christmas Day

The kids were up and ready by 8:30am, so we headed to my in-laws house. They had breakfast ready for us – chilaquiles, my favorite! The kids opened their presents. The 13yo got a tong of art supplies and the 10yo got three bamboo swords. He was very into them and spent the rest of the morning almost knocking stuff over as he pulled them out of their sheaths.

Around noon I snuck out for a run. My in-laws live near Golden Gate Park and last year I went for a run on Christmas Day which was really fun, so I went again today. I guess I am making it a Christmas tradition.

The weather was beautiful and there were some new art installations. I love taking a break during Christmas Day to clear my head and produce some much needed endorphins.

We had lunch at my in-laws, then dropped stuff off at home (I took a shower), and then we headed back down to my parents’ house. My husband was clearly hitting a wall so I decided to give him some time to recharge at my parents’ house.

When we got there the kids opened presents. My parents had a big spread of food to eat all day – we never sat down for a meal. The kids were happy with their presents. So were my parents. It was a nice afternoon.

My son out together a Snap Ship. We played a round of Skull. We ate SO. MUCH. FOOD. Around 6:30 the kids started losing it so we packed up and headed home.

My husband did a lot of work unpacking stuff. I did some work too. My husband had gone to bed and I’m writing this on my phone. I’ll probably head to bed myself soon.

Tomorrow we pack for camping. Wednesday morning we drive down to Pinnacles. Let the rest of the break begin!

I hope everyone had a lovely December 25th, no matter what the day means to you.