Christmas Eve

I'd have to say it was the strangest one ever. First off, André was working. Secondly, we didn't put up the tree (a tradition since I have been a child) because we did it Sunday so André would be with us. Third, no family around. Fourth - no special meal - we had pasta for dinner. Fifth, no Christmas music playing. We left our entire CD collection in storage back at home since André assured me he had ripped all the music on the CD's onto his computer. Well, not, unfortunately, any of our Christmas tunes. You really don't realize how important little things like Christmas music are until they are gone - it really felt like a chunk was missing in my chest as we decorated the tree last Sunday without listening to the Nutcracker, and not even once being able to hear O Holy Night... agonizing. We did go to a concert a few weeks ago - but I didn't recognize any of the music. The kids and I spent our day hanging out. We painted the really fun salt dough ornaments we had made and baked the day before. They came out really well and I will definitely do this craft again.
Before bed we read the Night Before Christmas and put out Santa's cookies and milk as well as the pictures Zander had drawn for Santa, the candle in the glass that Callie had made and 9 carrots. Zander insisted we needed all 9. (That's one each for Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph). They went immediately to bed, Zander didn't even open his eyes for his song.