Christmas 2009

Friends:

This past Christmas was wonderful! It was spent surrounded by family and friends. My nieces, Camrynn, Ashlynn, and Jasmynn spent 2 nights with us: December 22 and December 23. On December 23, we took Eliana and her cousins to Miracle on Fulton Street in New Orleans.

There, they got to play in the “snow” (tiny masses of bubbles), see Santa, and mail letters to Good Ole St. Nick from the Rudolph mailbox provided. So cute!

On December 24, Christmas Eve, we prepared for Santa’s visit. First, we delivered gifts to our wonderful neighbors. This is what we saw in the sky!

After spending some time at my mom’s exchanging gifts, drinking hot cocoa, and eating cookies, we headed home. Santa was coming and we had to prepare! Eliana left a card for Papa Noel, cookies, and milk.

Then Eliana went off to bed. In the morning… surprise! Santa had visited!

Eliana read her letter from Santa. It was a nice, long letter. He said he was a big fan of Eliana Cooks!

He left cool presents for Eliana. Soleil received her fair share too!

Soleil received a wireless all-in-one printer, copier, scanner & fax machine, a lighted makeup mirror, and Harajuku Lovers perfume “G” by Gwen Stefani. Eliana got a new recipe binder, an apron and chef hat set, a teddy bear, and what she asked for from Santa: an iPod touch. It even came loaded with the “Cooking Mama” game!

Then, it was time for all of us to open our presents. There were piles everywhere! We all had great Christmas presents. Antonio got a new flat screen TV for the bedroom and all kinds of new clothes. My big gift was a Flip HD video camcorder. Soleil got all kinds of new clothes and shoes. Eliana received cookbooks including Julia Child’s The Art of French Cooking and Memories from a Cuban Kitchen.

Then Abuela (my husband’s mom, Jennie) came over to give us her gifts. Abuela gave Eliana a new 19 inch flat screen TV for her bedroom!

Then it was off to my mom’s house. First, Eliana and Soleil had find out what Santa left for them at Nana’s house. Eliana received a Nintendo DSi and Soleil got a new 160gb iPod Classic. Both girls were ecstatic!

After that, it was time for posed family pictures. We do this every year in front of my mom’s Christmas tree. It’s become a family tradition. Here I am with my husband, Antonio.

Here is a picture of Soleil and Eliana.

Finally, there is the grand family photo!

After that, the kids were dying to open all their Christmas presents. It was mad chaos. We were opening presents while guests came to the door. My mom was hosting a Christmas party too.

Mom prepared a feast! There was a turducken (duck inside a chicken inside a turkey layered with sausage stuffing), brisket, roast beef, macaroni and cheese, green bean artichoke casserole, cornbread stuff, gumbo, pineapple meatballs, lumpia, stuffed mushrooms, bacon greenbeans, and more! Then you should have seen the dessert table!!

My best friend, Lisa, and her fiancee, Lonnie came over to visit. I don’t get to see Lisa often and I always look forward to the holidays when I can reconnect with her.

She just got engaged over the holidays and the ring is absolutely breathtaking. They had it made and my mom had to examine it!

We had a ton of fun. We ate, drank, sang Karaoke, and even played games like Catchphrase. In our family, Christmas is all about being together. It was a fabulous day full of love.

So from our family to yours, Happy Holidays! May 2010 bring you much happiness and together time!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Tagged as: 2009, Author, Children, Children's Book Author, Children's Books, Christmas, Dianne de Las Casas, Eliana, Family, Storyteller, Storytelling