Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was full of ups and downs so instead of a blow-by-blow report I think I will just go with some of the lessons learned:

--When 5 boys get THE FLU the week before Christmas, you are forced to pare down the holiday to just the bare minimum.

--With 6 boys and two great families, the bare minimum is still a lot to do.

--Every year we think Paxton will finally be over his stress about being around crowds (50 people at Grandpa's and Grandma's house certainly achieves crowd status) but each Christmas Eve is worse than the year before. Next year I go prepared!

--There will always be surprises from our boys on Christmas Eve. After being stressed all night about just about everything, Paxton walked right up to Santa and sat on his lap for a picture, though he insisted on taking the picture himself.

--The Knight boys will generally be responsible for the slightly inappropriate talent on Christmas. This year Addison told jokes. Next year he will run them by me before. Addison also insisted on being a wise man with skinny jeans and flair.

--My sisters will always pull through and make peanut blossoms so I don't have to feel guilty for not making them for about the 5th year in a row now.

--Don't try to cook fudge without a candy thermometer unless you are going for a soup effect.

--No matter how much I do before, we will always be up until at least 2am on Christmas Eve.

--Since my dream of a clean house on Christmas Eve has never been a reality I think I am just going to make a messy house a tradition.

--We have never had an unhappy child on Christmas morning so maybe I should stop worrying that we will.

--The best presents really are the ones that the boys pick out for each other even though I can get a much better deal.

--The other best presents will be the ones picked up at the last minute. Puppy the talking dog now goes with Paxton everywhere he goes (and follows in the Knight family tradition of creative pet names).

--We will always end up scrambling to clean before family comes over on Christmas. Gramella will hear the vacuum as she walks to the door instead of carols.

--As we open presents, one of the Knight boys will be either sleeping, crying or in time out--sometimes all 3. It is another tradition.

--No matter how much we stress, we all look at each other at the end of the season and say it was another great holiday and we are sorry to see it end.