As a family Christmas present, my grandparents sent money for my parents’ whole lineup of offspring to go out to dinner. All 20+ of us hit a little Mexican place I had never heard of: La Hacienda in Draper. It turned out to be pretty tasty and the staff was very accommodating to our extra-large group. Jason was especially happy that they didn’t squish us onto an insufficient number of tables, which avoided the old “put one butt cheek on your neighbor’s lap and accidentally stab their hand with your fork” routine.
This enormous string of tables was required to seat our bulky group.
Tara and Savanna have a lot of energy, which they like to focus on mischievous endeavors.
Wesley is ever ready to make a funny face.
Our lengthy row of tables did eventually fill up.
It’s been many years since my family has all eaten out together. Last time we did we fit on one table. Yeah, it’s been that long. So it was a treat to have an outsourced meal. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for giving the family horde a feast!
Christmas, you instigator of frenzied shopping, frantic wrapping and endless gorging, let us rejoice in your extravagance and overconsumption but let us also delight in your bits that require no buying, no packaging and no heralding like the merriment of family, the wonder of children and the joy of hope.
Jason and I made an assortment of cookies to contribute to the Christmas Eve feast, including gingerbread men of varying sanity. And yes, that is frosting on my chin.
I wish I could say that this Christmas was calmer than most for me and Jason but I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my “nice” status with such lies. Santa’s got enough problems on his hands.
On Christmas Eve Jason and I went to my sister Tonya’s house for dinner and entertainment. She generously provided yummy Café Rio fare and a festive musical program. She also supplied a good laugh in the form of a few rounds of Telestrations, a game as warped as those playing it. It was a pleasant evening full of fillings and feelings.
Madison and Tonya treated us to a Christmas program with music, pictures and verse.
Christmas crackers are a Sabin tradition we’ve introduced my family to.
Miraculously, Jason and I had Christmas morning all to ourselves this year. Despite our late bedtime on Christmas Eve, around 3 AM, Jason woke up bright and early on Christmas. Much like all the 5-year-olds out there, he was too excited to sleep. He settled down for French toast casserole and the exchanging of a few gifts though. That’s what our morning consisted of and, notwithstanding its simplicity, to us it was finer than partying with the jolly man himself. Who doesn’t wish for a little Christmas peace?
Abigail appreciated the abundant cookies and helped herself to about ten of them.
In contrast to our morning, our afternoon was spent hurrying from one family shindig to the next for nonstop food stuffing and present unwrapping. Despite this continual dashing, I believe that crumpled bows and overextended bellies were the only casualties of our insanity.
I crocheted these two scarves and knitted this hat. Although scarves are pretty simple to make, these were for big boys so they took over three skeins of yarn apiece.
Miracles do happen: Jason and I had some time to take it easy on Christmas morning.
Speaking of presents, I know there are many among you that believe gift giving is a lesser form of love expression and should be discouraged at Christmastime but I couldn’t disagree more. A thoughtful gift, whether crafted by doting hands or painstakingly picked out after much reflection, not only speaks of the bearer’s affection but also of their unique personality. I’m a big fan of bestowing gifts; I enjoy finding or creating presents that the receivers didn’t know they always wanted. This year, in addition to the many items I purchased, I crocheted scarves for Jason’s brothers and knitted a hat for my sister-in-law. It’s too bad that Jason’s siblings are such large fellows; their scarves took much longer to weave than they would have for recipients closer to my size. These tasks of love, and cramped fingers, were the reason for our late bed-going on Christmas Eve but I made that sacrifice of sleep happily for I believe in the importance of gifts.
The whole Sabin troupe gathered on Christmas.
Jason received an amusing gift from our sister-in-law Erin. A moustache disguise was among its treasures.
Christmas, you big scoop of extreme consumerism drizzled with some hope of humanity and topped with a sense of brotherhood, long may you inspire kindness and excessive shopping. For, although you may not be perfect, you always provide necessary light amid winter’s months of dreary darkness.
Jason and I throw a Christmas party every year. How many parties can one couple possibly host you ask? Regardless of the wisdom, for this couple that number is apparently a lot. Our holiday shindig usually involves a meal, white elephant gift exchange and the bearing of ugly Christmas sweaters and moustaches. This time, however, we decided to add another layer of seasonal wistfulness to the festivities.
The ugly sweaters and moustaches weren’t as bountiful at our party as I would have liked but, as you can see, foulness was present.
Just a cute picture of Lee and Suzan.
Jason and I opted to rent a cabin near the Sundance Resort for our get-together and the entire corresponding weekend. We invited about twenty friends to enjoy the restful beauty and holiday aura of this 4400 sq. ft. rustic hideaway surrounded by hillsides of thick forest dressed in white.
The white elephant presents at our party usually range from completely bizarre to not half bad.
This pool table was one of the reasons we picked this particular cabin.
For the party portion of this excursion we provided everything from soothing soup to cozy hot chocolate so that the lucky invited could warm and expand their innards as they chatted around a welcoming fire. There were lively games of pool and Dance Central following dinner but, for most, the evening was primarily spent simply enjoying the grub, company and nostalgic setting.
The cabin had walls of windows making one feel like part of the wintery setting.
We kept this massive fireplace ablaze most of the weekend.
Although everyone was invited to linger for the weekend, the bulk of our friends left late that night after the revelries. (Seriously people, you’re offered a free stay at a giant cabin and you don’t take advantage of it?) Adam, Abigail, Drew, Simone, Tom and Aimee all stuck around though for a couple days of serene relaxation. After the party-goers departed, we eight played Saboteur until the wee hours of the morning and awoke the next day to oversized flakes of snow peacefully drifting down around us as if we were in the middle of some traveler’s globe trinket. The flurries didn’t let up the entire day; about 22 inches fell within 24 hours. I guess someone kept shaking that watery orb.
In this case, “hot tub” might be a misnomer.
The sky was so dark during the storm that it was hard to tell where it ended and the ground began.
We all jumped in the patio’s hot tub that afternoon while fluffy powder silently built up on our heads and melted into tiny icicles in our hair. Honestly, it was a little magical. Later, after more gaming, we bundled up and walked down the buried mountain roads to eat dinner at Sundance’s Foundry Grill. It was a fun adventure and quite filling.
No, “cold” doesn’t quite cover it.
More board games were played, books read and stitches knitted that night and then, the next morning, the boys set about the laborious task of digging our frostily interred cars out so we could head home.
Those of us that stayed found much use for board games.
The storm left a winter wonderland behind when it finally cleared.
Our party and weekend were quite a success, if I do say so myself. Between the boisterous crackle of wood burning in an inviting fireplace, the glittering shavings of snow noiselessly floating down and the happy chatter of friends forgetting their to-dos, the holidays felt very close at hand in that comfy cabin.
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