Recap of Our 2017 Holidays

I can’t believe we’re nearing the end of January already! From the time we bought our new house it seems everything went by in the blink of an eye. Here’s a very belated recap of Christmas and New Years in 2017.

Christmas

Despite hustling to move, I did manage to get some decorating done for Christmas.

We spent Christmas up in Washington with Joshua’s adopted family, so we had a couple of get-togethers with family and friends prior to our trip and after we got back.

The Friday before Christmas we had some of Joshua’s family over as well as Dani and a few of our mutual friends. It was our first “unofficial get-together” at our new place. I did a chili bar for dinner, and we all exchanged gifts.

The next day Joshua, me, and the dogs were all packed in the car and on the road heading to Washington.

I was sick with a cold, so I spent most of the trip sleeping. 😴

On Christmas Eve we to church in the morning with the family. It was neat going to their little church in their little town.

Then we spent the whole day watching Christmas movies. Since Thanksgiving I had only watched two Christmas movies (both Home Alone movies), so I definitely got caught up on all my favorites. And since I was getting over being sick it was nice to take it easy and be with family.

Naturally on Christmas morning we opened presents!

The afternoon up until dinner we watched more Christmas movies and hung out by the fire.

Friends and family came over for Christmas dinner later in the evening. It was a chill and relaxing Christmas, something I think everyone was grateful for given all that had gone on in the past year.

We drove home the day after Christmas, and I took the rest of the week off from work. I’m so glad I did because it allowed me both get things done before our party AND relax a little too. A few days later we went over to my parents house where we celebrated a belated Christmas with them and some extended family.

My 2017 Christmas Haul

New Years

Since we were in our new house, we did a combination of a housewarming party and our annual New Years party. A lot of people were sick with the nasty cold/flu that has been going around, so we had a small crowd, similar to last year. We still managed to have a great time!

We spent the days leading up to the party making sure the pool, spa, and fire bowl were ready for guests. I’m glad we did because they turned out to be a big hit!

We set up the tables on the back patio we used to use for our LAN parties and put white tablecloths on them. The largest table was setup for beer pong and the other tables had chair for anyone that wanted to hang out. We also got a heat lamp for the patio.

I love that we finally have a backyard to entertain in. I can’t wait to host a summer party or two!

Beverages were setup outside so the could stay cold, and the food was inside in the kitchen.

As the night went on it was really awesome to see everybody hanging out and having a good time.

As always, I’m grateful for the people that make our parties and happy I get to start the New Year in good company.

Housewarming Gifts