After returning from our impromptu trip to Utah we poured our remaining energy into getting ready for Christmas morning.
As evening fell we drank hot chocolate, ate cheese fondue, read stories, the girls danced while Jess sang “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” they opened their presents for each other, and then we ushered them off to bed.
Family mugs from last Christmas. 
After several hours of wrapping presents and rearranging furniture the house was ready for Christmas morning and Jess and I were ready to catch a few hours of sleep in the meantime.
Kitties get their own stocking. 
Christmas morning the girls, amazingly, were not up until ~6:45. And then the party began. I set up a video call with Mom and Mollie so they could join our festivities since Mom’s house was rather quiet that morning.
The girls are tall enough to take our family picture standing up! 
The cats are very concerned about what’s happening. 
Corinne was dismayed to find that the cats had popped her ball while we were gone. Santa procured a replacement with less than 24 hours to go. 
Narwhal Earrings! 
Fight Evil. Read Books. 
A coloring book _with_ information about birds! 
And the following several days have been filled with recuperating, game playing, house cleaning, book reading, and wishing that vacation would last a little longer.