Christmas came early!

The tree and Santa gifts all set out.

Santa came early this year!  Well, Santa normally comes early since we are always traveling for Christmas but this was the first year that Kemper really understood that it wasn't Christmas and Santa stopped by early.    Ever since James and I got married, we've traveled "home" for Christmas....from Germany, Richmond, and now Tennessee.  After we had Kemper, people kept telling us how we needed to stay and enjoy Christmas morning at our home instead of traveling.  That advice is wonderful for some and I know people had well meaning intentions but for me, if we can make it "home" to spend Christmas with family, it's worth it.

Hudson's stocking and gifts from Santa.

We get to see family so infrequently throughout the year that it's nice to know that Christmas is a time we will get to spend with family and celebrate.  Our kids don't have the opportunity to spend frequent weekends with grandparents....special arrangements have to be made for grandparents to be at birthday parties or to have extra birthday parties in Virginia while "home" for a visit....grandparents and aunties/uncles can't run by a t-ball game or school party.  For these reasons, celebrating the holidays with extended family is special and important.  

Kemper's stocking and gifts from Santa

So, in the past, we've celebrated Christmas before traveling to Virginia and Kemper was none the wiser.  We would sit cookies and milk (or Diet Coke) out and in the morning, Santa would have visited.  He didn't understand the concept of time so he had no clue that it wasn't really Christmas.  This year however, at four and a half, he's a smart little guy who is awfully inquisitive.  Why did Santa only come to his house early?  Why not his friends at school, too?

Kemper checking out the note that Santa left and the cookies.

Well, Santa needed to take the reindeer on a practice run!  He has to keep those reindeer in shape and ready for the BIG night so he takes practice runs to the houses of kids who he knows won't be spending Christmas at their homes but will be traveling instead.  He left a note explaining all of this to Kemper.  And, since Kemper had specifically asked what his favorite type of cookie was when we visited him at Bass Pro Shops, Mrs. Claus sent peanut butter cookies with Santa so Kemper could enjoy them!  Kemper had no clue that he was going to wake up to find that Santa had been to visit.  

Needless to say, he was pretty excited!  It took him a minute to figure it all out but then he thought it was pretty cool that Santa had to take practice runs and that he chose our house for one of them!

Hudson just enjoyed eating the rubber duckie that was in his stocking.  He's pretty easy to please. :)

New pacis - yipee!!  

We also used this morning as the morning to exchange gifts amongst ourselves.  We had Kemper pick out gifts for Hudson and then Hudson "picked out" gifts for Kemper.  It was pretty difficult to get Kemper to choose something that Hudson would enjoy rather than something he would enjoy taking from Hudson, but in the end, he ended up choosing a toy phone and toy computer for Hudson.  Hudson chose Buzz Lightyear Walkie Talkies and a dvd for Kemper.  

Santa even took the time to draw a moustache on Woody and an eyepatch on Buzz!  And Kemper thought being able to enjoy a cookie before breakfast was pretty cool, too!

Checking out his walkie talkies.

Hudson's laptop.

James and I exchanged presents and he surprised me with an external flash for my camera!  He's so good at surprises (and usually has quite a few little elves helping him behind the scenes!).

Kemper and Hudson - Christmas 2012

Pretty sure this little guy thinks Christmas was pretty fun!

So we got to have a Christmas morning at our home with our little family and we will still get to spend Christmas with our extended families in Virginia.  I don't regret traveling over the years....James and I have been lucky to have our own grandparents around for Christmases with the boys and having those pictures and those memories is wonderful.  This is our way of creating our own special Christmas traditions....maybe not in the most traditional way but special nonetheless!