Christmas Eve

This was the first year both kids were too old to be part of the Christmas Pageant. However, continuing my favorite part of the pageant – the helpers who come back – they were both helpers. And Brendan sang again this year too. It was a great Mass with lots of enthusiasm from the kids involved. And also – the kids made the front page of the Globe (and the Globe’s Instagram!).

Christmas Day

Another chill and easy holiday – with everyone living so close it made for a nice day. The kids enjoyed their gifts (a Nintendo Switch and games for Aidan, an American Girl doll and styling head for Brendan). Dinner was with everyone at our home. It was a much easier night without boarding a plane like last year!

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. So it’s no wonder that there are so many traditions and events that make up our holiday season. Here are all the highlights!

The Nutcracker

This year Brendan decided he wanted to pursue ballet and that led to auditioning and being cast as a Party Boy in the Jose Matteo Ballet Company’s Nutcracker. He performed in more than a dozen shows at the Majestic and Strand Theatres. He had a great time!

Newport Mansion tour
(The Breakers)

This was new this year – Pascarelli girls night out. It was a leftover Mother’s Day gift and the perfect way to kick of December. The mansion was beautifully decorated, the music was beautiful and the company was pretty great too. Hopefully we do this again next year!

Parties

We hosted the Tracy Family Christmas Party and attended (san Brendan who was at the Nutcracker) the Brady’s party. It was great to catch up with everyone. Yearly pictures from these parties make us realize how old everyone is getting! But also provide a great opportunity to catch up with favorite people.

Enchanted Village

We will always love visiting Jordan’s Furniture to see the Enchanted Village and for the kids to ice skate. So happy they still will go with us!

Christmas Lights

Going to Blink! has also been a fun family night out. It makes for silliness too!

Nights out with the Boys

Brendan was invited to the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Holiday Party and I got to be his plus one. He had a great time catching up with friends. The next night I got to attend the Pops holiday concert with Aidan. Both very different but very fun nights!

We saw Santa!

Holiday Concerts

Brendan’s Condon concert was awesome (his class performed a theater piece) and Aidan performed in the 8th grade band and junior jazz band.

After much planning and discussion (starting in the summer), and in keeping with our family tradition, we came up with a very fun idea for our holiday card. Our theme is chaotic, messy, fun – just what the holidays are all about.

We were fortunate that Nile Scott Studios – the same photographer who shot Brendan’s headshots – was able to help us. We discussed a mess that would mean a food fight or mud fight. In the end we decided on confetti cannons and silly string – both used for recent birthday celebrations. We had clothes to play in and our Christmas pjs.

Here they are – our messy, chaotic, fun holiday pictures.