Christmas at Mom & Dad's

Living far away from my family, going home for Christmas is something I look forward to all year. This year we were able to spend over a week in Ohio, celebrating no less than five holiday family get-togethers between my family and my husband's family. Food, babies, gifts, and games abounded. I love going home for Christmas. However, as you will see, going home to visit Mom and Dad always inspires quite a case of "house envy".  

My mom hosted the big extended family Christmas for her side of the family this year, and so as a live-in house guest for the week, I took on sous-host duties. Like a sous-chef, but instead of cooking, I was tasked with things like filling punch cups and figuring out a seating arrangement to fit all 24 of us in the beautiful sunny dining room (not easy, but we did it).

My dad built this house when I was in junior high. It's a traditional two-story Saltbox, with wide-plank wood floors, rustic beams, divided-light windows, shaker style cabinets, and a pair of wood-burning fireplaces. Designed and built by my mom and dad, it is a truly gorgeous house and I count myself blessed to come home for the holidays to not only a wonderfully loving and fun family, but a drool-worthy house as well. And seeing as I get my love of decorating, antiquing, and rearranging in large doses from my mom, it's always fun to see what the latest tweeks and additions have been since my last visit.

The dining room, set up to hold two dozen people on Christmas Day.

Chocolate mint rolled cookie sticks in a cellophane bag, tied with name tags and a sprig of greenery, marked everybody's seat.

 

One of the stars of the day... cheesecake! My sister has an "in" (an in-law, to be precise) with a little home bakery in town that makes the best cheesecakes I have ever tasted, and she brought three different kinds to Christmas - white chocolate raspberry, pumpkin pecan, and fresh strawberry (my personal favorite). I think we all gained several delicious, creamy, graham-crackery extra pounds, and I, at least, count them well worth it.

Baby Cayden was the other star of the show. It's been almost 8 years since there was a new baby on this side of the family, so this little cousin is happily the center of attention. Don't you just want to pinch his cute little cheeks?

Yeah, you do!

I think baby Cayden gives my sister and me (not to mention our thus-far-grandchildren-less parents) all a mild case of Baby Fever. Just don't tell our hubbies, yet... (he he he).

A small gift for mom... a kitchen towel with her initials.

A cupboard full of antique pewter.

Hubby was dressed to match the livingroom, so he got to stay for a picture.

I hope your Christmas was as beautiful as mine!

This post was brought to you by my Christmas present from my dear hubby... a fantastic new lens for my Nikon camera. It's a 50 mm f/1.4G, and it is lovely. I'm having loads of fun learning how to use it to it's full advantage.  So is hubby... :)

Experimenting with the new lens as we drove off into the sunset!