Back in September of 2021, Nate's parents surprised the entire family {all eleven of us} with a Disney Cruise. We were set to sail on December 27th thru the 31st on the Disney Wonder, leaving out of Galveston, TX. We were all so excited to do this together as a family!
I wanted to include some moments throughout our Christmas season in a post. While most of these photos do not warrant a post on their own, I wanted a place for them here on the blog. It's our family scrapbook, after all! Even though there were many things that didn't go as planned {which has been the tune since 2020}, we still managed to have a beautiful Christmas season.
Christmas at the Halls looked a little different this year. Nate's middle brother's family was ill and not able to come. It was so strange without them there. We sure did miss them! It wasn't the same without all the grandboys there!! We made the most of the day and enjoyed our time together.
After spending Christmas Eve with my family, we came home and started preparing things for Christmas at home. Mason sprinkled his reindeer food, put out the Santa key, innkeeper's key, etc. Then he was off to bed!
For as long as I can remember, we've always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with my family. Even as children, we'd talk our parents into letting us open a gift or two on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days of the year. The anticipation leading up to Christmas and all of the traditions and festivities make this gal's heart so incredibly happy.
The candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church is always one of my favorites! I look forward to it every single year. The amount of time, planning, and preparing our church staff does is not lost on me. You can tell that they put their all into this service and it's so incredibly beautiful. This year, my whole family (minus my brother because they went to their church's service) came with us. That was the best gift I could ever receive. My family worshipping with us on Christmas Eve and hearing about the good news of Jesus, our Savior. I will cherish this day in my heart for a long, long time.
For our Disney cruise, Mason had to be tested for Covid three days prior to sailing. Which meant...Christmas Eve! Finding a place that was open and testing on Christmas Eve was quite the chore! Disney wouldn't accept a rapid test, it had to be a PCR test. We finally found a place in Dallas that was open, but getting an appointment time was another battle we had to fight! I finally got him an appointment for 8:06 am on Christmas Eve morning. Nathan's mom went with me since Nate was working a few hours that morning.
Our Christmas tree campout is a tradition that Mason and I started several years ago! We bring an air mattress into the living room, put on our favorite Christmas pajamas, and settle in for all of our favorite Christmas movies by the glow of the Christmas tree. It's such a special and magical time that I cherish so much! I am so thankful that my growing boy still loves to do this with me. I am holding on as long as I can and tucking each moment into my heart.
Today we went over to Mason's Nana's house to bake and decorate cookies for Christmas! It ended up being Michelle and I mostly baking and decorating them all! haha! The kids all ran around and played and Nana spent most of her time with the grands! But, it was a blast and I shaped up on my decorating skills - sorta. lol!
For Nate's 40th birthday this year, he went to a Meat Therapy session. Nathan's younger brother, Ty planned this event months in advance and it was the coolest idea ever! Nate, his brother, and his dad all went and had a blast.
We spent a sweet little Saturday morning at Vita Coffee House with Nate's brother and our SIL. Our church was actually paying for everyone's coffee that morning. How generous and awesome, right? Vita is owned by one of our friends we have known since she was a little girl. Vita is a gorgeous coffee shop with a boho feel. It's so cozy, warm, and inviting. I just love it there. And you can't beat the delicious coffee!
I knew at the beginning of the season that I wanted to add a little Christmas cheer to my chicken coop! So, I bought some poinsettias and whipped up a sweet little Christmas wreath! It made my heart so happy to see a little Christmas out at my chicken coop! It really is the little things...
For our last and final Christmas parade of 2021, we joined in with some of our favorites (Wicked Trendz Jeep Club) for the Venus, TX Christmas parade! The Jeeps were definitely the main show and had the most participants in the parade. It's always such a good time with our Jeep family! And, can I just say how much I love small towns? Especially at Christmas...
One of our favorite things to do each year is to drive around and look at Christmas lights! This year we chose to go to Interlochen! My boss lives there and always talks about how awesome it is. It has been years since we've driven through Interlochen, so it was time to give it a go! It did not disappoint! And the cherry on top? Getting to stop and say hi to my boss/friend!
We couldn't leave Grapevine without taking a drive down Main Street! Downtown Grapevine is so beautiful during Christmas time! It's not called the Christmas Capital of Texas for nothing!!
Next up on our festive family day was a trip to the Gaylord hotel in Grapevine, TX. We have loved going every year and doing the Ice exhibit. This year, it was different and was a walk through the Elf movie. It was pretty neat and felt like we were on the movie set! The Gaylord is always so pretty at Christmas time! We took a stroll through before our time for the Elf so that we could see all the Christmas decor!
Ever since Mason was a baby we have been visiting Santa at Bass Pro shop! We have always loved the backdrop and decorations at Bass Pro. They didn't have Santa in 2020 due to Covid, so we were excited they brought him back for 2022! I took off work on Friday, December 10th so we could have a festive family day and knock out several of our Christmas-time traditions. We began our day with a Santa visit and some Christmas shopping at Bass Pro Shop.
Every year my coworkers and I gather for a Christmas celebration. There are only three of us here in the DFW area and the rest of the company resides in the Seattle, WA area. We usually meet for supper and then go to some kind of hands-on event. We have done cooking classes, painting with a twist, and for the last few years, we have done Board and Brush. Board and Brush is a DIY woodworking studio. It's such a fun time and then you get to bring home an awesome piece for your home. The first year I made a huge nativity sign, the second year I made a wood Christmas box (that I fill with twinkle lights, ornaments, and pine cones), and this year I made...
Mason's elves brought him a cookie decorating kit, so we spent a sweet afternoon together decorating cookies! I love these tender moments with him and cherish every second. I know time is fleeting and he's growing entirely too fast. I just pray that I still have a few more years of this!
There is just something so classic about white Christmas lights on a house! While colored lights are totally fun and I love them, white lights are my favorite. Especially warm white lights. So cozy and inviting!! I love decorating the inside of the house and then coming outside to see what Nate has done to the exterior!
Every year we try to pick out an ornament or two (really just depends on the year and the events that occurred) to represent our year. Sometimes we pick up these ornaments while on a trip, some are given to us, or some are just ones that I see and know that we need on our tree. This year, we have several meaningful ornaments to add to our collection.
Every year all the ladies on my mom's side of the family gather for a night of baking, games, gift exchanges, eating, drinking, and all the festive things. My Aunt Donia always hosts this fun night and she does an amazing job at it! The amount of planning and time she puts into this night is above and beyond anything any of us deserve! Not to mention the money she spends spoiling us rotten! Her generosity is not lost on me. This is such a special day/night and one that I look forward to every year. My mom's side of the family is pretty large, but we are all so close and it's one of my favorite things. I have so many best friends and feel so blessed by that alone!
This year we were invited to be a part of the (televised) Dallas Parade! They chose four Jeep clubs in the metroplex to have various jobs throughout the parade. I felt so honored to be chosen for one of those positions in the parade!
My Christmas crafts for this year consisted mostly of things for our Disney cruise! We get to decorate our stateroom doors - using magnetic pieces! So, we had to devise a plan for our doors. We are also partaking in a magnet exchange for our cruise, so I made magnets for that as well. And then I wanted to make ornaments for each family coming on the cruise! It's been a Disney-themed Christmas!!
Every December 1st, our elves bring Mason a Lego advent. They wanted him to have a little something to open/do for every day in December! We love incorporating this into our mornings.
On Tuesday, we got to take part in our hometown Christmas parade with our local Jeep club! The Christmas parade in Waxahachie is one that we look forward to each year! It's always a complete blast and so neat to see everyone lined up on the roads to watch the parade! It's also fun to hear when people we know yell at us and wave. And, lighting up those kids' faces will always be my favorite part!
I started decorating the Jeep around mid-November by adding my antlers/Rudolph nose and wrapping my spare tire in tinsel! I wanted to get a jump on spreading the Christmas cheer this year!!! I love having a red Jeep at Christmas time. It just adds that much more 'festiveness'.
Our favorite elves (and Cubby) made their way back during our Palestine (camping, The Grinch's Lair, and Polar Express) weekend, just like they always do! Mason always anticipates them over this special and magical weekend. They just add that much more sweetness to the weekend.
Hi!! I am Crystal. Daughter of the One True King, wife to my high-school sweetheart Nathan and Mama to a 13 year old boy named Mason. We're the Halls and we love to travel around Texas {or anywhere, really}. I blog about our daily life, traveling, DIY'ing, and everything in between. Welcome and thank you for stopping by!