Christmas Eve is arguably my favorite day of the year. I love the anticipation of the day before Christmas— and it seems to make the lights and decorations even more magical.
I started Christmas Eve with a Starbucks run and a trip to get my nails done. It was the perfect escape. After letting my nails dry for a full 20-minutes (the agonizingly long amount of time I’ve determined is necessary to avoid smudges), I popped into Target to pick up some gift cards. It was as I was pulling into Target that I remembered— I forgot to book the rental car that would be getting us to Philly on Christmas morning. Jarmon had only asked me about 50 times if it was booked and each time I assured him I had it under control. Surprise surprise— I didn’t. A quick glimpse at the clock revealed it was 12:03pm— past noon!! Cue the panic. Most of the car places out in rural America close at noon on holidays. The distance from the highway to the Target parking lot seemed especially long today. When I finally got past the parking lot traffic and into a parking space— I googled Budget hours. Closed. Then Enterprise. The most convenient location had already closed, but the one at Latrobe Airport was (mercifully) open. And even more importantly— had cars! I quickly booked it and sent Jarmon the confirmation. Mission accomplished. I grabbed the gift cards I needed and went home so we could get the car. Going to the mall on Christmas Eve is my most favorite thing to do, but this year there just wasn’t time.
I got ready for Christmas Eve while Jarmon and DD got the car. We had our typical polish Christmas dinner in Mt Pleasant before heading to the Orlando family Christmas Eve party.
Arabella looked like a little princess in her Christmas dress. She loved the party— smiling as she was passed from one set of adoring hands to the next.
She got to see her cousin Madeline again and meet some new cousins. She jumped right into the mix with Margo and Molly’s kids— and seemed especially fond of James and Megan’s daughters who were visiting from California. Many adorable photos were taken.
Perhaps most adorable— Arabella seeing Santa again. I always loved it as a child when Santa visited the family Christmas party because he brought us one present early. To be honest, I forget what he gave Arabella because I was distracted by how mesmerized she was by him. Arabella, once again, gazed into Santa’s eyes and pulled on his beard. She seemed legitimately sad when I pulled her off his lap— poor kid. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it– the photos of Arabella with Santa are all on DD’s good camera and consequently not on my phone.)
This was the busiest year Santa has seen in decades at the Orlando Christmas party. The new babies combined with more family visiting from out of town made for a fun time.
Of course, Santa also made time for the adults. DD and MJ got neck pillows to help them sleep better on the train.
When we got home DD and MJ went to midnight mass. Jarmon and I stayed home so Arabella could sleep. We watched Home Alone 2, then had dessert when DD and MJ got home. We arranged Arabella’s presents in front of the tree before calling it a night. Staying up until 3am may not have been the best idea, but it was a great night. And I’m always happy to let Christmas Eve last a little longer.
Trina Orlando 