The Way We Do Christmas

Man oh man, we had a really nice Christmas.  It was wonderful being off for several days and having the family all around. 

Christmas Eve I arrived at my parents house and we put together a nice cocktail before dinner - champagne, limoncello, lemon zest, fresh mint, and a sugared rim.  Unfortunately, we went heavy on the limoncello, and the alcohol content alone of the cocktails was enough to singe our eyebrows and make us "goose pimply all over" {Marilyn Monroe}.  We found some diet lemon-lime soda in the fridge and added a splash to each drink just to be able to tolerate it.  I'm seldom one to dilute my drinks, but Santa is watching -- you know??

That evening we had our traditional seafood dinner and then went to bed so the reindeer could land on our roof!  We awoke the next morning and got ready to walk down the stairs and open presents. 

Our little dog is named Tipsy - isn't she the cutest?  Dinner that evening was the traditional Christmas dinner - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce. I decorated the table and hung ornaments from the chandelier.

The next morning we woke up to snow!  A white {day after} Christmas!  Unfortunately we had to pack up the cars and leave that white paradise.  We headed to Southport, NC, to visit my mother's side of the family. 

Oops!  Dead car battery at the gas station.  At least we have two manly men to handle the situation while we wait shivering in the cars.  :) Three hours later, we reached our destination of the beautiful coastal town of Southport.

Once we arrived we unpacked all of the gifts and caught up with the family.  For dinner that night, my uncle surprised us with a cooler full of foot-long hoagies hand-delivered from DiCostanzas, the mecca of hoagie shops in Philadelphia, PA (opened in 1925).  My uncle paid someone to drive up to Philly, purchase 18 12" hoagies, and drive back.  Unbelievable.  And they were out of this world, ya'll.

The next day we opened gifts and stockings and went into the quaint downtown area of Southport.  It's a cute coastal town with the sweetest little antique shops and stores.  One of my favorites is a Christmas store that is just wild.  It's in a large old house and every room is decorated to the nines.  Check out my favorite room below -- I was in heaven.  Candy bins, ornaments galore, crystal chandeliers, EEK!  I bought the cutest ornament for our tree, a glass mermaid.

Hope you all had a beautiful holiday with your loved ones!  Did you get any snow?