More December Goings On

Eliza helped me sand wood blocks for tea light holders I made for Christmas gifts.

Smoothie Time

We saw one cousin family for a few minutes when
we dropped off their Christmas gifts.

Christmas Sunday

I had a septoplasty done the week before Christmas and was so congested that I
 couldn't smell anything, and could only taste very strong flavors.  I asked Cat to make
me some of her fancy ramen, and Eliza helped.  It was great, and I loved the spice!

We made a point of visiting a cool Christmas light display I'd read
about in local news stories because its Hamilton medley got a
shout-out from Lin-Manuel Miranda himself.

Luke makes even a game of Uno more exciting.

Can you feel the love tonight?

Another outdoor cousin Christmas visit, this time with a gift exchange!

Thanks for coming over!

A few of the seasonal projects Luke brought home:

Eliza's teacher used the 12 days leading up to Winter break to incorporate holiday and winter themes into her curriculum. These themes were literally used all day long for science, social studies, reading comprehension, creative writing, math, and more; but she also added a craft and/or fun activity each day. On Hanukkah day, she made latkes for everyone to try. On Candy Cane day, each kid brought a candy cane of their choosing and they played a fun game where they passed the candy canes around a circle and everyone got to keep one. They talked about holiday recipes and traditions around the world, too. These were the themes: Snow, Caroling, Penguins, Candy Canes, Santa Claus, Hanukkah & Kwanza, Christmas Tree, Elf Day, Cookie, Gingerbread Men, Polar Express, and Snowman. Here are a few of the things Eliza brought home:

(a paper weaving similar to a Kwanzaa mat, called a mkeka)

Eliza made the white ornament on the left and
the tissue paper cookie cutter ornament on the right.