Year 5, Day 317

I finally felt well enough today to set about dismantling Christmas, a task I dislike enough to regularly question how badly I want to set everything up to begin with. It took a couple hours, but once the tree was undecorated and out of the living room, I could finally relax again. Everything was once … Continue reading Year 5, Day 317 →

Year 5, Day 304: Christmas ’22 in Review!

Christmas morning at my parents' house has long been a sluggish affair. Sure, there were the days of yore when I would wake up early (like, 3 AM) out of excitement for what was under the tree, but as my brothers and I got older (not to mention my parents), Christmas gradually became a late-morning … Continue reading Year 5, Day 304: Christmas ’22 in Review! →

Year 5, Day 303

Here's hoping all of your little ones were well-behaved enough to not end up on the naughty list this year!

Year 5, Day 302

As usual, Christmas brings with it a return to my boyhood home in Myrtle Beach. Even with a drive that took far longer than it should have (with the inclusion this year of a dog), Miles was all smiles as he walked up to the door of my parents' house last night. I was sort … Continue reading Year 5, Day 302 →

Year 5, Day 300

For all the talk of mail delays and supply chain issues, one thing remains true -- Santa Claus is still number one in the game. Today, just a couple days after mailing his letter, Miles received a reply from the Big Guy himself. Personally, I would've liked to see a bit more admonishment for Miles's … Continue reading Year 5, Day 300 →

Year 5, Day 297

My relationship with Christmas lights is a lot like my relationship with bears -- I like them a lot, but they are best viewed from a distance and I do not particularly want to deal with them at MY house. I always like taking an evening during the holiday season to simply drive around and … Continue reading Year 5, Day 297 →

Year 5, Day 296

Today, Miles composed (and/or dictated) his letter to Santa Claus. Never mind the fact that Miles has had at least two encounters with Santa already this holiday season; after all, you never know when last-minute inspiration will hit. Fortunately, there's a drop off box for North Pole mail right here in our neighborhood!

Year 5, Day 295: Baby’s First School Performance!

Miles's German school put on their holiday program this morning, and Miles's group, being the youngest, was up first. All they had to do was dance ever so slightly, in time with the song, while waving a paper snowflake around. Seriously, that was all they had to do. https://videopress.com/v/KHVSZrMO?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true After retrieving our child, we returned … Continue reading Year 5, Day 295: Baby’s First School Performance! →

Year 5, Day 287: Reassessing a Christmas Classic

With Christmas fast approaching, our standing Family Movie Night has been commandeered by holiday films. While Miles is watching some of these on his own (at, say, six in the morning, like this one), I wanted to make sure we took the time to sit down and enjoy some of these as a family. I'll … Continue reading Year 5, Day 287: Reassessing a Christmas Classic →

Year 5, Day 285

We only recently made our annual trip to Hallmark to pick out some new Christmas ornaments (an activity that typically happens a little earlier in the year), and we all definitely found decorations that spoke to us... But which ones spoke to WHOM? See if you can figure out the parties responsible for each selection … Continue reading Year 5, Day 285 →