christmas cheer | our annual traditions.

Two stops during the week leading up to Christmas, three stops on Christmas Eve, four stops on Christmas Day, and three days to recover once all stops were complete. Whew! I love this time of year - the hustle and bustle mixed in with the stillness of those first few moments + last few moments of the day - and I am always so sad to say farewell to the trees and lights and gifts and traditions for another year. Braxton didn't nap for two days during the hustle + bustle part, but aside from being very zombie-like a couple of times, he handled his second Christmas season like a champ. He loved having all eyes on him while we visited with family, and all those brand new toys he got are still getting looooots of attention. It's like Christmas every day when he wakes up and sees that all of them are still here!

We got lots of new stuff for our new house, including a surprise Kitchen Aid mixer that was a total shock and may or may not have made me scream like a little girl, and it has been so fun to tinker and place things throughout the walls and rooms of our new bungalow. I originally thought that I would leave all our Christmas up for a few extra days, but I quickly changed my mind when we brought in all our new décor. So much so that we have been packed up for three days! I can't believe it either, y'all. But seeing our house as it will be for most of the year is absolutely worth this veer in tradition - we are so smitten with how it all looks (don't worry - I will reveal more soon!).

On Christmas Eve we went to Pop + Gigi's house, Nana + Papa's house, and then we had our annual Phillips Christmas at Linda + Dennis' house. On Christmas day, we opened our gifts to each other before the madness began, joined our Capstone family for a beautiful service that focused on the hope, joy, and peace in Christ that we celebrate this season, went to Granny Pat's house, met Grandma (my mama) and the family at our new house to exchange gifts, and then ended our day at Pops + Mimi's house before coming home to crash. And we certainly crashed hard.

Call me crazy, but I love the fullness that this season brings. I really, really do.

Here's to making that fullness last into and throughout the new year, starting with a heart full of gratefulness.

Merry Christmas to you from us!