A Very Married Christmas

Christmas is filled with a lot of traditions. Things your family does year in and year out that you look forward to more and more the closer it gets. This year was going to be different. Just me, my new husband and our pup. I guess I thought I would be sad that we wouldn't be with family, and a part of me was, but when I look back years from now at our first Christmas together as husband and wife, I will think of nothing but perfection.

Christmas Eve is typically my favorite part of the whole shebang and this year was no different. Brad and I cooked an amazing dinner together (Stella helped) and it was certainly an occasion to bring out a bottle of "the good wine" that we had shipped from Italy. We made peppered beef filets with blue cheese potatoes and a side salad, a wonderful recipe that my Grandma gave me. And last but not least, a tasty pecan pie.

After dinner we let Stella open one present since she's been such a good girl this year. It was no surprise that she was more interested in the tissue paper than the actual gift....until she realized how tasty her treats were and how pretty she looked in her holiday collar.

We watched a couple of classic Christmas movies before calling it a night. Stella had to get to bed so Santa would come.

We woke up Christmas morning and had a delicious breakfast to start the day, cinammon-swirl breakfast bread pudding. Delish! Then it was time for presents. Stella had a few more gifts to open from her grandparents, which she thoroughly enjoyed. At one point she decided she was a snow leopard.

We kept warm by the "fire" and opened our gifts from parents and grandparents. We must have been really good this year because we got spoiled!!

The rest of the day was spent being quite lazy, just as it should be. More Christmas movies and more food. Stephanie arrived right on time the next morning and we got to do it all over again. But more about her visit later...