As per usual, the holiday season was delightfully chaotic. The weekend before Christmas, we hosted a Christmas party with friends and went to see a local production of the Nutcracker. After church, we spent Christmas Eve in Eatonville with the Hights, had Christmas morning at home, and hosted Ty's family here for Christmas dinner. After a day of rest, we went to Clackamas to celebrate with my family.
We historically spend the weekend before Christmas with my family but changed things up this year and planned to go down there the weekend after. This opened up unexpected time to spend with friends. I enjoyed our Christmas party, but the kids were overwhelmed by the chaos of all the children who attended. I was hoping that Owen would take charge and plan some games for a cash incentive, but his friend Jackson ended up coming so he did his own thing. A few of the guests were a bit destructive, so I think next year it's going to be adults only with one friend per kid. The Nutcracker was also a bit of a letdown for the kids—they found it pretty boring, which, although I love it, I don't totally disagree with.
The highlight of Christmas Eve was a fun game that Rachel planned, rolling toilet paper to claim cash prizes. It was lovely being with the Hights. Their family is so meaningful to all of us. Christmas morning was as fun and magical as always. Family arrived around five for Christmas dinner, so by the time we were done eating and opening gifts, it was already late. Steve, Paula, Aaron, Kelsi, and Devin left around ten, and the remaining Rallo crew stayed up until one in the morning. When we woke up the following day, our home resembled a frat house after a rager. There was wrapping paper and boxes aplenty, and the six kids got every single gift they received out of its box and put it to use. There were two pottery wheel stations, a squishy-making station that coated our hardwood in a fine glue, glitter nail kits, Easy-Bake Oven stuffed animals, tattoo-making kits, and more. The Magnolia Rallos set off for Spokane around one in the afternoon after hours of helping us clean. When they left, I was so exhausted that I crawled back into bed for a two-hour nap. Upon waking, I was still too fatigued to accomplish anything. It was lovely to have a much-needed afternoon of rest before embarking on our next celebration.
Time with my family in Clackamas was nice, but it felt short and rather rushed. The rest of them had already been together for Christmas and were gathering again on our behalf. I was grateful they were willing to be there but could feel that everyone was tired. My cousin Matija has a four-month-old baby, and it's been a minute since there's been a little one to snuggle. When she was tired and fussy, I asked if Riley would let me rock her to sleep. Matija said probably not, but I was welcome to try. When I came back with Riley asleep in my arms, they were all surprised because, historically, her mom is the only one who can get her to sleep. I didn't know about their skepticism until Ty filled me in afterward and felt proud of my strong connection to babies. My mom reminded me that years ago, Kelsi said that babies know I'm one of their people. Still true. I wished I'd had more time to chat with Matija about new motherhood but was happy I got to see her. We stayed the night with Manda and Anthony and chilled with my mom and Marty before heading home Sunday afternoon.
We sat Wes down and talked to him about Santa around Easter this year. Hazel still believes but picked many holes in the facade. I hate it when it gets to this point and imagine she is coming to end the of this era.
Hazel has emerged as quite the little poet in the past few months and at my suggestion, wrote a poem to give Grammy for Christmas. A few days before Christmas I mentioned to her how much Grammy was going to love it and how I was excited for the poem she was gifting me. At that she said, "I'll right back," and created magic.
After a few quiet days at home, Levi rode the train up to ski with us on New Year's Eve. It was a fantastic day on the slopes, getting back at it for the season. The snow was thin, but there were no crowds and the sun was shining. When we got home from skiing, we immediately changed and headed over to the Rooneys' for a nine o'clock ball drop. Sarah is such a fun host and always has plenty planned to keep the kids engaged. They did another wrapping paper fashion show and a live-action version of the Hungry Hungry Hippos game. Ending the year with dear friends was perfect. At 10 pm, I raced to bed for an early morning in the ICU.
From Eatonville to Clackamas to Crystal Mountain, we logged a lot of miles between December 24th and January 1st. There was a nice cadence, with stimulating, chaotic days followed by days of rest. I should also note that this is the first holiday in many years that hasn't been disrupted by illness. It feels like we are back to our pre-COVID baseline with sickness, and I'm here for it. After the loss of any type of schedule and too many late bedtimes, we are ready to get back into the school routine.
Christmas is forever a special time of year. I'm grateful for time with family and friends, for chaos and for rest. I'm walking into 2026 with gratitude and hope.
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