Well, it’s December 27th and Christmas has once again officially come and gone. I promised myself that I wouldn’t get bummed out the day after because my husband and I are patiently awaiting the best gift of all, the birth of our daughter. While I definitely can’t help feeling a little sad that the few Boston radio stations that play non-stop 24/7 Christmas music have gone back to their regular tunes; I’m still very much on a Christmas high as this year was by far the best Christmas yet.
For years it’s been a tradition to attend my dad’s big Christmas Eve party. It’s one of my favorite nights of the year. Good food, a Yankee swap, family gift exchanges and most of all, the wonderful company of my family. We always get home really late from the party and this year was no different. My husband suggested that we open gifts to each other when we got home, at midnight as it was technically Christmas day and it would allow us to sleep in a bit before heading to his parents house the next morning. Originally I didn’t want to, but after him insisting I open one gift, a “leg lamp” nightlight from the movie “A Christmas Story”, I suddenly got excited and we sat there opening everything by our tree. Every time he had asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year I basically told him I had everything I wanted…him, our house and a baby on the way. There was really nothing that I “needed” and what more could I possibly want? But as always, my husband had a pile of gifts for me. A pasta maker, a gorgeous scarf from Nordstrom, an ornament…the list goes on. What I didn’t know is what huge gift would be waiting for me the next day at his parents house…
We went to bed and headed out around 10am on Christmas morning. It’s a tradition to open gifts with his family and then have a delicious homemade brunch. I swear his parents are like Santa as their living room is always exploding with gifts. As soon as we pulled into their driveway I saw a gorgeous car with a big bow on it, but I chose not to say anything. I thought to myself, “Wow! Who is getting a car for Christmas?!” We got inside and passed around our hugs, hello’s and Merry Christmases to everyone and I instantly forgot about the car. After opening all our gifts (almost two hours later) my husband told me Santa put an ornament on the tree for me this year, and when I looked up there were the keys to the brand new car he bought me for Christmas. I looked at him stunned and asked, “Is this for real?!” And he said, “YES! Didn’t you see it when we pulled in the driveway?!” Of course I had, but was it really mine?! He said me and the baby need a better car and he was excited to do this for us. I instantly threw on my Uggs and ran out the door to go check it out. It’s exactly what I’ve been wanting for the past six months; a 2014 Honda CRV. I’ve done a lot of research on crossover vehicles and have been driving a Honda for the last 10 years. It’s truly been a great and reliable car, but once I found out I was pregnant I knew I would need something bigger, newer and safer. My husband just bought a brand new BMW in July which is our “family car.” I drive that a couple days out of the week when he doesn’t need it, so once I stopped working I figured a new car for me too was out of the question. I looked at my husband and told him I thought this sort of thing only happened in the movies, because I truly felt like I was in a movie. We ate brunch and then headed out for a “test drive.” It was Christmas, but now all I wanted to go was go drive around in my new wheels! The day was spent with his family and my mom who is always invited to his parents for Christmas. It was by far the nicest and most relaxing and enjoyable Christmas days to date.
I truly didn’t care about gifts this year because I already feel like I have everything I want and need, and they are things that no amount of money could ever buy. Although, we both received so many nice gifts that I still feel like I need to pinch myself. And not only did we receive gifts for ourselves, but so many family members had gifts for our baby girl who hasn’t even made her entrance to the outside world yet.
I told my mother in law yesterday when we were visiting again that my grandfather told me Christmas eve that he loves the way my husband treats me, that he is so good to me and it’s so nice to see how very clear it is to everyone else how much he loves me. Then I told her that my husbands uncle gave me a huge hug Christmas night and said how happy he is that I am part of the family. I told her how much I love all of them and that they are so good to me and that I truly feel grateful and she said, “It’s nothing less than what you deserve.” My point in including some of this mushy lovey dovey family stuff is that beyond how incredibly excited and thrilled I am for my new car, Coach bags and the “material things” I received , it’s my husband and family that really mean the most to me, and who made this Christmas one of the most special. I am not ignorant to the fact that all of the gifts are just added bonuses, because without my husband and our families, Christmas Day and every day would be empty and boring. They truly made this year a Christmas to remember…
With only about seven-ish weeks left in my pregnancy, my husband and I are getting more and more excited for the best gift of all…our daughter! A small piece of me and small piece of him bundled into one sweet little bundle of joy who we cannot wait to meet! I’m looking forward to officially becoming a mommy and sharing many more Christmases with our growing family!
Wishing all my blog lovahs a happy holiday season and a New Year filled with happiness, love, health and joy!
~Sparke