Carolina Christmas

It’s always envelopingly sweet to return to my childhood home – a place that holds so many memories. From eagerly awaiting my parents’ return when my brothers were born, to secret spy missions in the crawlspace with my sister, to our blissful wedding reception in the backyard. Christmas recaptures some of that magic by bringing us all back together. And to top it off my mom has the loveliest Christmas decorations creatively reconfigured each year, all in a peaceful country setting.

Last year when we visited, Ellabelle was still a toddling babe, but this year she and Luke were a duo of kid energy and exploration.

They loved to play outside and mostly delighted in my parents’ dogs, though a few times Eleanor shrieked, “Puppy eating me!!!” to let us know that her personal space was endangered. Then when the puppy romped off she would grumpily declare, “Puppy bothering me. That puppy bothering me.” Perhaps this love/fear relationship with the canine residents explains our kids’ newfound zeal for tree climbing.

Old family standbys were not neglected either. Wild horsie rides on Papi,

Family walks through the woods (Luke is still asking for his treasures – aka pinecones – that he collected there),

Gingerbread house decorating (Eleanor quite preferred the ‘circles’ for both decorating and eating),

Holiday movies (this was the Grinch Who Stole Christmas),

And darling church clothes.

Christmas day held stockings by a fire,

A tree surrounded by presents

and our traditional brunch of eggs benedict.

Then there was present playtime! Luke’s new truck was loaded with all manner of cargo.

And Eleanor rocked her new babies in the very same doll cradle I adored as a little girl.

What a fun, full Christmas it was. On our way home from the airport (after wailing his desire to go back to Nika and Papi’s) our sensitive Luke-boy earnestly declared, “I hope February comes really, really soon!!” since we might see Nika and Papi again then. We miss you all!