All in all, our Christmas was lovely.
Jimmy and I headed to church on Christmas Eve to celebrate with our congregation. We watched Hannah along with all of the teens and kids in our church sing and play music. It was absolutely beautiful. Afterwards, we headed to my parents’ house to exchange gifts, eat cookies, and catch up. My brother was with his wife’s family and Hannah was with her boyfriend’s family, so it was just Jimmy and I with my parents, and of course the dogs!
Jimmy and I headed home from my parents’ and were both excited to sleep in on Christmas! I think we slept until 7:00 a.m., a treat for us 5:00 a.m. waker-uppers. I think sleeping in gave me a headache, though. Nothing a little coffee and Advil couldn’t fix ;). We exchanged gifts after having breakfast and Jimmy played with his (a drone!) while I started preparing the house for our guests to arrive in the evening.
We had Jimmy’s dad, siblings, and dad’s girlfriend over for dinner and to hang out. We all exchanged gifts and enjoyed chili, broccoli cheddar soup, corn muffins, and challah.
Every time Jimmy and I host a get-together, we are hyperaware that we don’t have a lot of seating in our home. Our couches were given to us by different family members (which is why they’re all mismatching), our kitchen table seats two, and someone usually ends up sitting on the floor. You know what, though? It’s cozy and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After exchanging gifts, we played card games, drank smoothies, and watched Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel. My father-in-law and Jimmy are avid Gold Rush fans, and they like to tease me because Jimmy and I watch it every Friday night and I fall asleep halfway through the episode.
We’ve been watching Gold Rush for years, and I looked back and saw the first time I mentioned it on my blog was in 2012! One of the people on the show got a black lab mix a season or two ago, so I’m always excited when I see the dog. His name is Dozer, and every time he’s in a shot, I’m like “LOOK JIMMY, IT’S DOZER!!” and he’s like “Yup…a dog..” haha.
After everyone left, Jimmy and I tried to stay up a little longer and watch a Harry Potter movie, but we were tired from all the fun! Christmas 2015 was absolutely delightful. Jimmy and I were so happy he didn’t wake up with the flu like last year, so we felt extra felt blessed that we were able to celebrate Christ’s birth surrounded by family and friends. I hope you had a happy and healthy holiday as well!
Living My Full Life 
What a wonderful Christmas! It sounds like it was full of great food and lots of family time. I would expect nothing less than Dozer being your favorite part of Gold Rush – after all, you adore animals!
It truly was a wonderful Christmas! Haha yes, you know me so well with Dozer being my favorite part of Gold Rush!!
What a perfectly lovely day spent with family!
I couldn’t agree more! I hope your Christmas was lovely as well 🙂
It looks like you had a wonderful Christmas! We opened gifts and spent time with family then headed to NC to see our grandparents (we go up there most Christmases). It was a nice day with the family.
Awwww, it sounds like such a lovely (and delicious) Christmas! (I was just thinking that a big bowl of chili sounds good. Ha, ha).
How cool that Jimmy got a drone!! Does he have a specific use for it, or is it just for fun?
So glad to hear you guys had such a great Christmas! And I love that you guys still host parties even though your place is small. We threw so many parties in our very first home together. 400 square feet and TINY. We had two chairs at the kitchen table, and six seats in the living room (if you squeezed). But we still threw big parties anyway. People never seem bothered to sit on the floor or to bring their own folding chair. 🙂 It’s all about being together, not about the mismatched furniture. 🙂
OMG that drone!!! You should hook up a camera to it and take your photography skills to the next level! Serious I’ve heard this is a new thing 🙂 My Christmas was just enough of what I needed, family, friends and relaxation.
Jimmy must have mentioned a drone to me every single day for the past six months, so I knew I had to get him one! The funny thing about pictures is that his has a camera on it! It takes videos and pictures, which he is having so much fun with. much to Lola’s dismay 😉 haha. She is terrified of the drone!
I’m so glad you had a nice Christmas, Ellie!! Best wishes to you in 2016!
It sounds like you had a fun and relaxing Christmas. 🙂 My Christmas was lovely — I spent the day with family, and then I’ve just been hanging out at home. It’s a treat to be able to spend lots of time reading, hiking, blogging, watching movies and sleeping.
I really did! It was definitely a blessed day for us! I’m so happy to hear you had a lovely Christmas with your family and hanging out at home. Sometimes that is just the very best thing–to relax at home with no grand plans.. just taking each day as it comes and enjoying the little things!
Happy New Year!
Definitely! I feel so refreshed after this holiday. 🙂
Sounds like such a peaceful and happy Christmas!
It truly was!! I was so please to read that you were able to spend your Christmas with your family this year in Oklahoma! How wonderful 🙂
I hope 2016 is awesome for you, P!
The perfect Christmas! No plans too extravagant, just church, time with family, and of course good food 😉