Christmas and Santa Cheer

I hope you’ve had a Merry Christmas today and if you’re not celebrating Christmas or Chanukah, I hope you’ve had a wonderful Sunday.

We did.

Santa came.

He made it all the way down from the North Pole down to the South Pole and found one good little girl’s here here in Aruba.

Complete with overweight baggage fees from Delta Airlines.

Art supplies and puzzles tend to weigh down the sleigh.

Santa was able to source the rest of the loot locally, like a play beauty salon, play kitchen food, and Barbies.

Actually, Santa came to Aruba two weeks ago and Skylar’s been playing with her toys for the past couple weeks.  I took these pictures then.

What good do the toys do sitting hidden in a closet when she could be using them?  Not to mention, for every minute spent drawing, that was one less minute I had to listen to the television being on and loud cartoons on within earshot.  The channel choices we have here are quite limited and there’s an abundance of the most obnoxious ones.

And she’s loved her markers and crayons, play food, and play beauty salon.  Here she is sniffing the plastic atomizer telling me how good the perfume smells.  Nothing wrong with her imagination.

So it was a win to give the gifts early: less tv time and more imaginary play when we’re not at the beach.

She’s also been showered with gifts from our Aruban neighbors.  Our neighbors here are either childless or their children are grown and they’ve told us it gives them joy to buy a few little things for her.

She’s hit the Dora, Barbie, and play food jackpot and has loved every pink second of it.

I’ve loved every second of today.  It has been picture perfect.  From sun up until sun down, it’s been sunny, gorgeous, beautiful and we’ve been to the pool.

The beach and then back to the pool.

We had a family walk with this view.

Lots of fresh fruit, more Cookie Butter White Chocolate Banana Smoothies than I ever thought my little Magic Bullet could make or that my family could drink to wash down our crunchy snacks.

The day was filled with beautiful weather, laughs, and love.

I’ve truly had a Merry Christmas with my family and I hope yours has been the same.

Merry Christmas!

Questions:

Did Santa stop by your house this year?  What did he bring? Or any fun memories of great gifts that Santa (or the Chanukah closet) brought you as a child?

Did you receive any gifts this year that you’re in love with?  Do tell!

What did you do today?