Christmas was simple this year. On Christmas Eve we went on a nice family walk to the park (to tire the kids out) and later we had our formal meal (ham, potatoes, etc). Afterwards we drove around looking at lights. Bedtime was a little later this year, but we had a hunch Santa wouldn't be at our house setting up toys for very long, so it wasn't an issue if they kids didn't go to bed right away. Lucky for us, the kids wish lists were small and they asked for very practical or easy to find items.
Santa brought Howie a gaming chair, a new controller, and headphones.
His favorite gift was his Dr. Who Sonic Screwdriver.
Santa brought the recliner Luke had been wanting. Luke was very happy about that.
I didn't take very many photos of our morning festivities this year, but Erin was so happy that Santa brought her a new blanket and pillow for her bed. (See, I told you they were practical). She was surprised that Santa brought her a kindle, since she gave up asking for that last year. Jack just wanted Legos or anything remote control operated. He was thrilled that Santa brought him Hot Wheels.
My favorite gift was a new faucet for the kitchen sink. Since we are in a rental, the faucet will be traveling to any future homes we may live in. Howard's favorite was his new kindle and a trunk organizer.
The day was spent playing with our new toys and munching on yummy finger foods (shrimp cocktail, sushi, veggie tray, chocolate fondue, etc).
In the evening we decided to venture out to the Bellagio. We sat in an awful amount of traffic, but the best part was that no one was cranky and everyone was well behaved. What would normally be a 20 minute drive turned into over an hour. Once we parked, we braved the crowds. It was worth it though.
The conservatory in the Bellagio was transformed into a Winter Wonderland. It did not disappoint! The really neat thing about the crowd was that most people seemed to be from Asia or the Middle East. It was fascinating to listen to the many different languages represented. I think it's awesome that they chose to come to Vegas on their winter break.
The house behind the children was made out of chocolate. Luke and Jack weren't cranky, despite this photo. This was just the only picture that we could get because there were hundreds of people there, so getting pictures of the children was quite difficult. Getting everyone to smile at the same time in one shot is nearly impossible (for me anyway).
I'm pretty sure this HUGE polar bear was made out of carnations, but I can't confirm this.
Poinsettias were everywhere in all shades of color.
Once we were done in the conservatory we sought out a drinking fountain, but stumbled upon a small gelato shop. We stopped for a bite to eat.
Afterwards we ventured outside to watch the fountain show. We stayed for three shows. The best one was the Hallelujah Chorus. It was simply amazing!
The sonic screwdriver kept us occupied in between shows.
Crowds and crowds of people filled the strip. Even though this was by far our most simple Christmas, it was probably one of my favorites. December was simply filled with some much needed down time after a crazy busy fall.
