December 26th, 2019

Happy Day after Christmas to all of you!  Did you have a terrific Christmas?  Did Santa bring you something unexpected and wonderful?  Did you eat yummy treats and spend time with people you love?  We did!~

First of all, we are extra fortunate because every year we get to celebrate Christmas twice. Once on Christmas Eve and the other one Christmas day!  Woohoo!  The only thing better than a great Christmas is two great Christmas's!

Ever since we moved here to Florida we get together with Joy and Bob on Christmas Eve.   So of course that's how it went down again this year.   We went out to eat first then came back to our house to regroup a bit.  Then headed over to the arboretum to see the lights.  

​I did a post a few days ago about the decorations in the arboretum.  But it looks completely different at night and that's why we have to go twice every year (at least). We wandered through ooooo-ing and ahhhhh-ing for quite some time.    There was a choir singing in a different park a few blocks away and it was kind of extra special to hear that music in the background.

Most of the lights were different from previous years but Joy and I were tickled to see that the angels wings were still there

And the best exhibit was one specific to Joy. Really it was obviously created  just for her!

Eventually though, we had seen everything at least once, chatted with total strangers also walking through,  and flinging wishes for a Merry Christmas in every direction, so it was time to go home and have dessert.  There were cupcakes and two kinds of pie. Everyone had at least one of something!  Gotta have the necessary energy to move on the next part of the evening. Presents!

We only exchange stocking gifts so everybody has one stocking chockful of silly, fun, clever and sometimes tasty things to open.  We take turns, one gift at a time, 'round and 'round the circle.  We talk, we exclaim, we question (what on earth it this? - to be fair that is usually me), we thank each other and more than anything we laugh. We laugh until our face hurts, we laugh until our sides hurt.  Here is a snippet.  (Wish I could do a flipbook)

It was a wonderful Christmas Eve.  Every single year, at some point, Bob says that it was the best Christmas ever and by golly, I think he is right.

The next day was the actual real Christmas Day and that day is completely different.  We sleep late, get up and get out act together slowly.  We have a special Christmas breakfast, read the newspaper and eventually open our gifts to each other and anything that came to us from the kids.  

We make phone calls to the boys (and their girls of course) and send text messages and emails galore!  At some point one of us decided that it would be a great day to take a walk so Tim and I headed out. We walked through town and through neighborhoods and eventually, as we always do, we ended up at the beach.

It was a gorgeous beach day, sunny and warm but not humid and hot. Perfect!  And a lot of other good folk clearly at the same great idea because there were quite of few others there.  Somebody even brought a tiny fake Christmas tree and stuff it in the sand. Awesome!  There were sandcastles all over the place and even the dolphin statue was sporting decor.  Hard to go wrong with Christmas on the beach.

We got home in time for me to make a special Christmas dinner followed by more of that pie. And then we settled in to play with our new toys and watch a little Christmas TV.

So there you have it, the two Humphreys Christmas's extravaganza!   We hope your Christmas was the very best ever !!!