Well, we last left off on Christmas Eve, so let’s go ahead and get to Christmas day!
Knowing we had a long day ahead plus the fact that I tend to drag my rear end a bit in the mornings, my alarm went off bright and early at 6am, and within a couple of hours, we were at my in-laws’ house.
Since we had a full breakfast waiting for us at our next stop, we kept things light with some coffee, tea, and homemade pumpkin bread (my mother in-law makes the BEST pumpkin bread).
Jay, myself, and his parents took our time hanging out, watching A Christmas Story, and opening up a few gifts. We also had some lotto tickets in our stocking, which turned out to be not half bad.
Between Jay and I, we raked in $53.00 plus a free Take 5 ticket. We decided that the extra cash will work perfectly towards our anniversary dinner next week.
A couple of hours later, we were back on the road and made our way over to my parents’ house (thank goodness we all live within about 15-20 minutes of each other). By the time we got there, the living room was filled with presents!
It was actually pretty funny to see, since there were presents that literally lined the entire living room, thanks to the village taking up all of the space under the tree. My parents have always loved Christmas and have admitted that they like to go overboard a bit.
Before getting to any gifts though, it was time for our favorite Christmas breakfast (minus the mimosas for meeeee).
Mmmmm, I just love this meal so much, and it couldn’t have come any sooner. I literally had one of the worst nights on nausea leading in to Christmas day and had felt off all morning before eating a full meal.
I still didn’t wind up feeling 100% on Christmas, but hey, it comes with the territory and I am certainly okay with that.
Once we all finished up with the food, it was time to open some gifts, and I must say that I think everyone made out pretty well this year! Some of my favorites…
Sephora fragrance sampler (have gotten this three years in a row and LOVE it)
Wolferman’s Gourmet English Muffins (aka, my favorite English muffins to hoard).
A few new clothing items.
A food processor (FINALLY!) and a new crockpot (I wanted a smaller one too, since the one I currently have is enormous).
And quite possibly our favorite gift…a Keurig.
Jay and I went back and forth on whether or not we wanted one of these for a couple of years now. We love the idea and the convenience of them, but we always thought they were sort of wasteful with all the extra K-cups. Well, now that we aren’t drinking the same coffee anymore and leaving the house at the same time in the mornings, it was becoming rather difficult. But now, no more problems and I am SUPER excited.
After we finished opening our gifts, we all just sort of hung out for a few hours before deciding to play a new game that my brother got. Have you guys ever heard of this Bohnanza game?
I had never heard of it, and I thought it was going to be ridiculously tough to figure out, but once we got going with it, it was actually really fun! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to play a full game so we’ll need to play again, but now I want to go find one for myself.
It became pretty funny to listen to the whole table trying to make trades on their different beans.
But we did have to cut the game short…and that’s because it was dinner tiiiiiime.
Words just cannot express how much I adore my mom’s lasagna with homemade sauce and meatballs. It is just the bees knees, if you ask me. And the best part? She made an entire extra pan for Jay and I to keep(!!!)…now I just need to find some room in my freezer to put it. Oooof.
Around 5:30pm, we left my parents house to head up to Saratoga to meet up with the rest of Jay’s family like we usually do. I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but Jay’s family is large. VERY large. And I believe last night may have been a record for the most people ever there at one Christmas…word on the street was that we had over 70 people. A little crazy compared to my tiny family of 6.
But I love having the two extremes; a cozy, intimate holiday is always nice, but it’s also fun to spend time around lots and lots of family too…especially when some of them are your best of friends. I think we finally got home around 9:30pm or so last night, and it didn’t take long for the two of us to crash in bed after such a long day.
It was another wonderful Christmas, and a pretty special one at that…seeing as though it’s the last one where it’s just me, Jay, and the Codester. Next year, we’ll have our little bundle of joy joining in on the party…and I can’t wait.
Annette@FitnessPerks says
Merry Christmas! What a fantastic day you all had! That pumpkin bread looks super yummy and I kinda want to jump in and eat that roll you had at dinner. Hah.
We had a great one too–we spent it with my husband’s family–super fun!
Lily says
My family got the new edition of Keurig, too! We love Keurig and have had one for a while now, but we are so glad we got the new one! If you haven’t already, I recommend trying the Chocolate Covered Donut- flavored K-Kup. So yummy!
Oh, and I am so glad you had a great holiday! Merry Christmas!
lisa fine says
Whoa, is that overnight French toast? Do you have the recipe posted on your blog?
Courtney says
Yup, both of them are on this page: https://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/recipes/breakfast/ :)
Linz @ Itz Linz says
You guys def made out well! Glad you’re feeling better and super excited that next year you’ll have a little baby!!!
Bethany @ Accidental Intentions says
Woof, 70 people?!?! The most we’ve ever hit is 13 haha. Looks like you had a lovely holiday, though! That lasagna does look pretty darn incredible. How nice of your mom to make you and Jay a whole pan!
Michelle@Peachy Palate says
Sounds like a jam packed family filled two days! Your food processor is going to be your new best friend I’m sure! :)
Chelcie @ Chelcie's Food Files says
A food processor is such a great gift! I love mine..I most recently made homemade almond butter and peanut butter with it!
Stephanie @ Steph's Miles says
We received the same English muffins two years in a row from a family friend. My favorite so far is the pumpkin flavor and the mini cranberry-orange! They were so cute! Glad you had a fabulous Christmas filled with family and love!
Julianna @ Julianna Bananna says
glad to hear you had a great christmas! that lasagna and meatballs look so yummy! :)
Angela @ Health's Angel says
I also got a food processor and a crockpot as gifts! :) So excited to use them both.
Sounds like a wonderful day. Merry Christmas!
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
70 people?! Woooow. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a gathering that big, but that’s probably because all of my family lives in Poland, so our holidays over here are pretty tiny with just me and my mom and dad. It’s great to hear that you had such a good Christmas, Courtney :) Hope you’re enjoying the rest of your holiday!
Sarah says
All of the food looks SO good! Especially the breakfast at your family’s house.
Lisa says
Wow that’s a lot of people! You Christmas sounds absolutely magnificent! SO glad you had a great time. And next year will be even more wonderful! Enjoy the rest of the holiday time!
Suzanne @ Fit Minded Mom says
It looks like you had several wonderful Christmas celebrations!
I love the smaller crock pot, especially the design. I need a smaller one too because I never fill it and have to watch it to make sure it does not burn my smaller portions.
As for a Keurig, I would be lost without mine! You can always get a refillable K cup to cut down on the waste.
Danielle @ Truffles n' Treadmills says
Sounds like you had a good Christmas! I also got a Keurig and have used it several times already. Sooo much cheaper than buying Starbucks and tastes just as good
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
It looks like you had an absolutely fabulous Christmas and some delicious food!!
I was the “big winner” in my family with the Lottery scratch off tickets….$14.00. Doesn’t seem like much, but considering I normally end up with nothing or a couple bucks I will SO take it!! Being $53.00 richer for you and your hubby sounds awfully nice. I am sure you have a special someone to spend it on, too! ;)
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
Looks like you guys had a great Christmas! And I’m sure that Keurig will be extra handy once that little baby joins the world. :)
Barbara says
I’m exhausted just reading about your busy holiday (and I’m not pregnant, so I can only imagine how you felt at the end of the day!)… I love Wolferman’s muffins and can totally relate to your hoarding… enjoy, with a nice K-cup!
Claire @ Keeping Up With Claire says
Ohhhh, yum! I’m so excited for you to fall in love with the Keurig. I’m completely obsessed with mine and don’t know what I did before it. Also, if you still want your ground coffee (some flavors are too good to give up) there’s a little piece you can buy for the Keurig that allows you to use your ground coffee too!
Janeen says
My husband gave me a Keurig for my birthday, and since I drink a lot of coffee, thought it would be wasteful to make cup after cup. I’m glad to report I was very wrong. The k-cup coffee is so much richer and more flavorful, less is more. I often brew the largest size cup (especially with Starbucks or another darker roast) and divide it between 2 cups and fill the rest of the way with water, milk, creamer, etc. We also got the My K-cup, which is a tiny filter you can fill with your own coffee and reuse over and over. I love my Keurig!
Khushboo says
Sounds like your Xmas was the best of both worlds :-)
Sabine says
What wonderful presents :) !
Next year there will be another, little one to celebrate with you, isn’t that an exciting thought?
I never heard of Bohnanza, but understood the word game immediately and looked the game up to be sure.
“Bohnanza” is a mix of the english word “bonanza” and the german word “Bohne” (which means “bean”).
Now I am interested in this game, too :) .
Lisa says
My mom loves her Keurig. She actually just got a new one a month ago. I love how the new crock pot matches your reusable bag :). Amazing print. And 70 people for Christmas? I thought my family was big. We can have up to 30 people. It’s crazy, loud, and did I mention crazy? Enjoy your new Christmas gifts.
Kerry @ Totes My Oats says
What lovely gifts! Wow, 70 people! I thought our family gatherings of 35 were large haha. That must be so fun!
Shari says
Looks like you had a fabulous holiday! :)
Colleen @ Jimmy Choos on the Treadmill says
$53.00 in lottery tickets?! That’s pretty awesome!
Melanie says
Get the Eko Brew reusable k-cup! You can use any ground coffee.. fill it and pop it in. Makes it much cheaper than the throw a way kcups! I got mine on Amazon
Kristen@Change of Pace says
It looks like you had a great Christmas. Love all of your fun kitchen gadgets! :)
Lindsay h says
I’m curious to see how you like the keurig! I find it makes the coffee super strong but maybe it’s just me?
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says
That pumpkin bread looks amazing…and 70 people? That’s intense. My dad’s side of the family can get to around 25 and I thought that was crowded. I’m glad you had a great last childless Christmas!
Katie says
Your life is about to get so good with that food processor!
Amanda B. says
Sounds like a lovely Christmas!
And ooooh- the Sephora fragrance sampler comes with Coach’s Poppy this year! That is my summer scent!!
Jenn @ Be YOU at Be Me says
My hubby and I enjoyed our Christmas this year as well and are looking forward to having our little bundle of joy join us next Christmas as well : )
Brandi says
Agh! I want that new Keurig!
Miranda @ Biting Life says
I got a k-cup coffee maker for Christmas! I can’t wait to start using it! I agree that many people think it’s a waste… but when you think about it, you end up saving a lot of money. I think I spend $2-$3 on a cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts, but it’s so much cheaper with a Keurig. Plus, if you get the reusable k-cup, it’s even CHEAPER. A regular coffee machine isn’t an option for me because… I just can’t make it myself haha. For some reason, I’m just terrible at it!