Yup, it’s time for the annual gifts-we-got-each-other post. Allow me to do some voice exercises. Mimimimi. Ok. Onnn the first day of Christmassss, my true love gave to meeeee… well, we’ll get to that in a moment. In general we like to treat the holidays as an awesome time to spend with friends and family while being grateful for what we have, so it’s really not all about gifts at our house (people over things and all that). But our tradition is to make Clara a few handmade items – like her fridge and her latchboard – and then we get each other a few “tokens” of our affection (we usually spend around $100 on each other over a few different items, give or take). But before we get to those, let’s recap Clara receiving the play fridge that we made for her.
If you saw our Instagram pics on Christmas morning you already got a taste of how happy the bean was about what Santa brought her. Of all the stuff that we had set out for her that morning (we moved everything into the living room so it’d be near the tree to “open”) – the things she loved the most were the play eggs. Which makes sense, since she had specifically asked Santa for “eggs and ice cream.” No joke.
After about 20 minutes of play kitchen time, we migrated back over to the Christmas tree to see what else was in store for us. Note: about 70% of those presents were for or from friends/family members since we usually just exchange a few things each.
Clara ripped through a couple of gifts from other family members – stickers, markers, clothes, Legos, and a warm winter hat that she already calls her “pigtails” (thanks to those long braids on the sides).
And Burger got a bag full of his favorite bone treats among a few other tasty delights. He loves them so much he even got out of bed before noon for them. What a guy.
When the “kids” were sufficiently distracted by their bounty, Sherry and I took a moment to exchange ours. Sherry picked up on my recent declaration that I need new t-shirts and gifted me a nice stack of tees from Fab.com (my recent go-to source for them). I love Virginia, mazes, bikes, and NY, so it was pretty cool that they all had some meaning while still just being comfy T-shirts that made me want to hug my wife with gratitude for not buying me a tie.
Sherry’s recently been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo (I’m 99% sure she’s just messing with me), so (you know, to mess with her back) I got her some temporary ones from Tattly just for fun.
I even threw in a kids’ monster pack for Clara to enjoy with us. That ended up being the biggest hit, and within a few minutes we were all sporting matching ink on our arms.
I also got her one of these porcelain cottage lanterns from Ballard Designs that she mentioned in her lady-gift roundup (they’re no longer available, but they’re similar to these). I got her the big one and my sister and mom got her the other two smaller ones. Could white ceramic buildings be the new white ceramic animal? Sherry cooed over them for a while, and now they live on our mantel so I’d venture to say they were a hit.
Sherry’s very good at dropping specific hints (think emails entitled “think Santa knows that I love this?”) so I astutely picked up on the notion that she’d love this colorful pillow from House of Pillows on Etsy.
And last but not least, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Sherry getting some earrings. So I got her these emerald-colored ones from Kendra Scott (they look a little more teal in this picture than they are in real life). She loves that they’re giant and colorful and I love that they look like arrowheads. Everyone wins.
The picture above is actually at my mom and dad’s house, where we moseyed over to after our small-family-present-opening activities wrapped up (Christmas pun!) at our place. Over there we had a casual Christmas lunch with my parents, sisters, brother-in-laws, nephews, and even my aunt, uncle, cousins and their kids came down for the day from Northern Virginia. And yes, there was more present opening.
Clara’s favorite gift from “second Christmas” were these Make-A-Face stickers from her cousin Elsa.
It actually may be my new favorite present too, because watching the faces Clara puts together is HIGH-larious. Above you can see Sherry helping her with the placement of that first eye, but we soon learned that it’s far more fun to let her do it all. So we help her get the stickers off the sticker page, but the placement on the faces is all hers:
But like any Christmas, the best part was the family time that we got to spend through it all. Here’s Clara clocking some quality girl time with her cousin Elsa.
And here we are after discovering that we were accidentally dressed somewhat similarly. Minus the fur boots.
And perhaps the most amusing /unusual part of the day was the makeshift indoor playground that my dad set up in his garage to help keep all of the little kids occupied (there were 6 kids under the age five here, mind you) and out of the lunch-maker’s way in the house. As weird as it looks, it was a great way to let them burn off some energy (yes that’s a slow slide leading to an empty baby pool). So if ever you mistake us for being super classy or remarkably fancy, just remember this was part of our Christmas. And it was totally awesome.
That was pretty much how our Christmas looked. And you already got the drill about Christmas dinner at our house on Monday.
So, how’d your holidays go? What did you give/get? Did any special family events occur (we learned two of our cousins are pregnant!) or were any new traditions started?
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Alexis says
Um, I think Burger might be a little embarrased…you might need to Photoshop a little black bar for him over a part of his picture eating treats!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha. Poor guy gets excited about his treats…
xo
s
Ashley @ According to Ashley says
Loved the whole recap, but that picture of Burger getting his treats just made my DAY! And the note about him getting out of bed before noon – BAHAHAHA! He’s the cutest.
Kristi -SIMPLEPRETTYTHINGS says
Just got my jan/feb issue of HGTV. I see you ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Really?! Wait, where?! I don’t think ours came yet. Exciting!
xo
s
Alissa says
If you’re in the market for more unique bike t-shirts, check out:
enduranceconspiracy.com
I bought a few of these for my bike-loving-triathlete husband for Christmas and they were a huge hit. Bonus that the company is environmentally friendly. Oh, and they have kids shirts, too!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Alissa!
xo
s
Georgia says
Naawwwwwwwwwwwww Clara brought a tear to my eye, EGGS, santa brought me EGGS!! So cute. ?
She has such good manners, you should both be very proud for making her into such a sweet little lady! :)
Looks like you had a fab christmas, love all your presents!
Happy new year!!
xo
Georgia @ http://www.ramblingsofgeo.com
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Georgia!
xo
s
Veronica says
“So if ever you mistake us for being super classy or remarkably fancy, just remember this was part of our Christmas.”
John, you are beyond hilarious. Can’t wait to yuk it up with you guys in Portland! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Veronica! We can’t wait to get back out to Portland!
-John
Tammy Terrio Wallace says
A perfect Christmas! Thanks for sharing guys. Love your traditions and fun gift giving ideas <3
Erica says
Oh my goodness, she is so cute! When you woke her up, she acted like she was still so sleepy! Adorable! She’s getting soooooo big! I love hearing her carry on conversations. I can only hope that if I ever get to have a kid, she’s as adorable as Clara is!
I also love that you make homemade gifts for Clara. :-) So sweet and thoughtful!
Krystal says
Oh, c’mon, John! You know you were wearing fuzzy boots before you took them off when you got there! Don’t even pretend you weren’t! ; )
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Ellen says
I love the way you guys speak to Clara – no baby talk, but still warm and age appropriate. Her vocabulary and speech is remarkable for her age! It’s my favorite thing about the videos. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Ellen!
xo
s
Lisa says
You posed the question, some time back, who does Clara favor, Sherry or John. Clara favors John’s mom.
The young house life post of Nov 28, there is a Halloween pic of Clara and just below, John’s mom at the dinner table. You can really see the resemblence.
YoungHouseLove says
I totally see it!
xo
s
Kim Mickler says
I have to tell you my mother-in-law turned me on to your blog a few years ago, but this year for my birthday and Christmas it’s been all about Young House Love. For my birthdays she gave me your book and for Christmas she gifted me my most favorite christmas gift, a white ceramic owl. I jokingly said we might need to spray paint him bright yellow, in your honor of course. We already have him on the counter in my kitchen and my husband has been attempting to name him. “Hootie” “Hoolio” and “Hoo-Tang” have been tossed around. Merry Potato Christmas to your family from our family.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s awesome! Love it!!
xo
s
Sue Erneta from Sue at Home says
I sent my husband one of those “dear santa, I want this” emails about a month before Christmas with a link to your book. We were talking a couple days before Christmas and I told him that I only had one thing for him and said he didn’t have anything for me. I said “Nothing? Not even the book?”. He looked at me dumbfounded. But when I wasn’t around, he found the email and then proceeded to have it express shipped to my parent’s house to make it in time! (They can’t all be good gift givers, I guess.) But…I do LOOOOVE the book!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahha, so glad it came!
xo
s
susan akers says
First of all, love Clara’s fur boots! Very chic! Refrigerator box! When my son was growing up he spent about a month every summer in Myrtle Beach (we lived in Texas) and before Alex flew in every year she’d say ‘time to find a refrigerator box’. She would put it in her sunroom and cut out doors and windows – he would put his little Teenaged Mutant Turtle (been awhile, yeah…) sleeping bag in there and have a ball! It was just a tradition. So your pic brought back a lot of memories!
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Meredith Jones says
Oh my goodness.. can I come with you to say thank you so Santa? What a wonderful proud potato Christmas it was!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, sure! Come on over!
xo
s
Swarfel says
I must say for your next book (because you have to do another one) it should be more about these type, home life, posts! I’ve commented this before on other posts, but you have such a well mannered daughter! Maybe we can go in the car to thank Santa! I think I teared up! Seriously, tell us young amateurs about mad parenting skills!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Swarfel.
xo
s
Eilene says
Looks like a lovely Christmas. It’s wonderful to see a family have it all, and I’m not talking about gifts… The P’s really know how to love and appreciate each other.
Was also reading the comments above and my husband has the same space between his toes (it might even be larger) and never wore flip-flops. Maybe it’s a neat feature that will come in handy someday!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
1st Photo: John – “Yeah Clara, I TOTALLY made you that!” and in the sticker picture faces, correct me if I’m wrong but I am tile #6 right? Clara totally gets me…
My best, Lynn
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahh!
xo
s
Newlyweds on a Budget says
I’m curious, how do you keep gifts secret from each other?
My husband and I only have a joint checking account, and share credit cards, so we haven’t yet figured out how to keep gifts a secret because inevitably we see the charge in the bank or on the card.
YoungHouseLove says
All of our accounts are joint, but Sherry doesn’t check them very much and I make it a point not to look too closely around gift giving time. I also have all of my presents to her shipped to our PO Box since she doesn’t check that either. It’s not a perfect system, but if at most we know something is coming from a certain store it’s not necessarily a dead giveaway as to what the item is.
-John
Sarah says
We have only joint accounts too but for Christmas and each others birthdays we take out the sum of cash (I know, so old school right?!) and use that to purchase the gifts. We had the same problem as you and this has worked for us pretty well.
Thais says
I just checked back on your book signing tour because I was super excited to see you guys in Fort Lauderdale. I thought it was meant to be because it was a lunch event and I work night at a pediatric office. Then it says 6pm. When did it change?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmmm, I believe that event has always been at 6pm. We don’t recall it changing times. The date after it (the now cancelled Grand Cayman) was a lunchtime event. Perhaps that’s where the misunderstanding came from? Sorry we’ll miss you!
-John
Kal says
“I don’t like bologna anymore.” Duh guys, I mean, come on… You gotta keep up with that cutie ;) That line cracked me up. And I am super jealous of the playground. I always enjoyed the boxes more than the Christmas gifts. Still do ;)
rosemary says
lasturday! Love it!
Tamara says
Ok, that must be the CUTEST. KID. VIDEO. EVER! And those faces she created – awesome and priceless. Pretty artsy, too! Thank you for sharing your Christmas with us!
Ali says
I had one of the worst days ever today and Clara’s little Potato Christmas video put the biggest smile on my face. Thank you for that!
Bobbi says
Love hearing Clara talk about her gifts!! What a super-fun addition to her kitchen!! Proud potato Christmas from our house in So Cal to yours!!
Erin says
John, I’m seeing a little more grey this year. Looks like 2012 did a number on you? You and my husband have at least one thing in common.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, he wears those gray hairs proudly (his mom and sisters all have them in the same front left area – such a cute family trait).
xo
s
Momlady says
Hey guys did you know that for the past couple of days when I go to your site it re-directs me to this http://izgrev.eu/astr.htm
Don’t know what’s going on with that. Thought you should know. Glad you had a grat holiday.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we have no idea why that would happen. Anyone else having this issue? We are chatting with the tech folks but it’s not happening for us or for them. What operating system are you using and what browser? (ex: Internet Exporer 8 on Windows). Thanks Momlady!
xo
s
mp says
I love the indoor play area! Clear to see where John got his DIY-oomph!
Y’all go barefoot a lot — do your feet ever get cold? Mine are always freezing! I wear socks until June and put them back on in September!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha oh yeah my feet were freezing in the garage – I just was wearing flats, so I didn’t have socks :)
xo
s
Maria @ Inspiration Affirmation says
I love everything about this post — I am still smiling from ear to ear. :-) Clara is so sweet! I love when she says that she is “so proud.” Adorable! Also, I love her sticker people — she is quite the artist! Those would be so fun framed, I think! Too cute. I’m so glad you all had a Merry Christmas.
lee says
beautiful family! Clara is getting big!
Gotta love Burger. He made me notice the floors and wonder if you guys refinished those, if so what kind of finish is that.
I have no idea how you keep everything so beautiful and clean!
YoungHouseLove says
These are actually just the floors that came with the house. I just clean them with a little Mrs Meyers from time to time.
xo
s
Kelly says
Plaid has actually become our “family uniform” after a bunch of us accidentally all wore plaid shirts on the same day. Now everyone dons a plaid shirt for Christmas, Easter, and of course the family trip to Disney World. All 22 of us showed up for dinner in plaid.
Alexis says
Just picked up on the whole tattoo thing…I’ve got three: one on my back which is pretty embarrassing, so I won’t even share it! A maple leaf on my foot (Oh Canada!)…slightly less embarrassing. And two hearts on my wrist (for me and my hubby…wanting to add a third for my daughter).
I love them (even the embarrassing one) because it’s an expression of you at that moment in your life. Not trying to pressure you at all, but just trying to warn you that they are addictive! I thought I would just get one, and now I have 3, and I’m always thinking of adding!
I like your idea of the number 7, but in case you want to add more I think your logo is super cute and tattoo worthy!
Kim says
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful Christmas with us. I hope you all have a Happy New Year!
YoungHouseLove says
You too Kim!
xo
s
Xanthe says
Totally get why this wouldn’t be in the post (not that kinda blog!). Are you now they proud owner of more than one bra? There has certainly been enough hints over the past year or so! X
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, I now have two!
xo
s
Jessica Lundberg says
Such a fun Christmas! I just discovered your blog from a link on Pinterest (isn’t it the greatest?!) about your rock box. I think my faviourite part is that I have a 4 yr old daughter named Clara!! Yay for old fashioned names making a comeback!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much! And you have great taste in names. Haha!
xo
s
Sarah-Nadine says
Clara is so cute and so well mannered. I love that she is such a chatterbox and easy to understand, which is not always the case at that age. You both make great parents. Congrats.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much!
xo
s
Denise says
So this may be completely off topic, but then again, I don’t think talking about ceramic animals could ever be totally “off topic” on this blog – I saw today on Apartment Therapy an article I thought you’d get a kick out of:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/oddities-delightfully-bizarre-ceramic-animals-by-debra-broz-182084?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fmain+%28AT+Channel%3A+Main%29
Basically they are freaky ceramic animals. Gave me a good laugh and I just wanted to share with yall. Go Hoo’s!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha! So funny!
xo,
s
Ambi says
I have been lusting after those kendra scott earrings for months. I think you’d love http://www.uncovet.com esp if you like fab.com.
Also I just want to say that my college roommate got me hooked on your site as a freshman in 2007 and its been history ever since! Its been nice to see how you’ve guys grown.
Happy Tomato New Year!
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! Happy Tomato New Year to you too. :)
-John
Vanessa L says
You guys are so creative and, obviously, on top of things. I rarely get my act together in time to think of or make awesome gifts. Someday when I don’t have a newborn I’m going to actually plan ahead! Until then, I’ll live vicariously through people like you :) You guys are awesome.
Btw, in case no one shared, I have a tip for the stickers. Peel off the outer part and just leave the stickers on the paper. Then Clara can get them off on her own. Major time saver!
Brooke says
Thanks for sharing fab.com! I just took a look at their tees, and now I’m wondering… Sherry, why didn’t you get John this one? http://fab.com/sale/14940/product/200115/?usid=7
Hehehe, wink.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny you say that. When I saw that the other day I immediately texted a screenshot to Sherry. And if you ever see the Fab.com commercial on TV, it features it as well, so we both had a good laugh over it.
-John
Jenny @ We G Three says
I not-so-subtly emailed Santa my list this year, too, and… a YHL book showed up under my tree!
I LOVE that pillow. In fact, I saw one on Joss & Main the other day, but it wasn’t in my budget. =( So I was a super sleuth and figured out the fabric and where to order it so that I can sew one for myself. How’s that for DIY? ;)
Kathleen @ Home Wasn't Built In A Day says
I love the makeshift playground in the garage! And how funny is Clara on the slide!!
Jill says
Looks like a great time was had by all. I love the gifts yall picked out for each other. :)
We had a nice Christmas although my Mom and I were sick as dogs the entire time. I still am! We did a lot of lounging and watching tv My sister came to town for the first time in a few years. She introduced us to Downton Abbey and we watched the first two seasons in the 5 days she was here.
When I found out my sister was coming, I immediately asked her if she wanted to do something big for Mom & Dad together. Every year, I ask them months ahead of time what they want for Christmas. But usually it is things like “a million dollars”, “a full time maid”, or “we just want you and your sister to be happy”. Womp womp womp… total buzz kill, right? Like true to form, they waited until the last minute to start dropping hints, but I had to give up on them since mine and my sister’s plan was already in the works. One of the things my parents so desperately need is a new kitchen floor. It is over 20 years old (as is most things in that house). I know it is more of gift to my Mom since she is at home and in the kitchen more often, but it was also like a gift to my Dad because it would be a burden lifted off of him- one less thing he needs to fix. Things are financially stressful for them and my Dad has to be gone a lot with his job (he works so hard and it is way past time for him to retire), so my sister and I pulled our resources together (and also secured an installer- even tho we are DIY ppl and it will be hard for Dad to not have a hand in it!). We purchased a laminate floor, a new pull down faucet for the sink, and a back splash (we do not currently have one and Mom has been wanting something for behind to stove, especially). Dad is the dish washer of the house (so was his dad, a family tradition) and so we knew the new faucet would make life easier on him. The back splash is something fun and different. It is supposed to look like those tin ceiling tiles, but it is actually made out of thermoplastic so it won’t rust or melt – specifically for a kitchen back splash! It definitely goes with the traditional/country look my Mom has going on all over the house. I am going to install that myself and I am pretty stoked about it!
Needless to say they were both shocked and immediately said “yall did too much” (we really did our homework and got great deals on everything plus 5% off at Lowes). I think Dad was frustrated at first, but then I saw him get emotional a few times. Mom decided to put aside her “you spent too much” and just got plain excited. She laid some of the floor samples down and propped up a piece of the backsplash… and then Dad tore into the faucet. It was installed the next day- he does love a project. :)
It was such a good feeling to be able to give them those things. They have done so much for my sister and I through the years- always sacrificed and made sure we had great memories of Christmas. I consider it a blessing that my sister and I both have stable jobs that allowed us to put aside some extra money this year in order to pay for some extra special presents. My parents are practical people, so a big vacation or fancy electronics would not be their thing. Maintaining their house together and having a place for all of us to gather is very important to them. Hopefully they can be proud of their kitchen once again… and I’m already planning for new countertops in July- their 40th anniversary! :)
Jill says
whoa. sorry for the novella. i didn’t realize it had gotten so long.
Juliet says
That Clara is a peach!
In case she asks for specific food items, like cheese slices for her bologna, I recommend the clearance section at http://www.gummylump.com/. My daughter liked mixing wood, rubber, & cloth foods together with her cans and boxes. They have a ton of variety so her collection can grow.
I mention this because I hope you guys will add another piece to the kitchen-this makes the top 10 list for me!
Donna says
Watched the video from this year and last. Your bean has really sprouted! So cute.
Cassondra says
Have you seen the new ceramic animals at West Elm! I thought of you somehow when I saw the inch worm, the snail is cute too!
http://www.westelm.com/products/ceramic-inch-worm-d492/?pkey=cnew-accessories&cm_src=new-accessories||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_–_-
YoungHouseLove says
LOVE THE INCH WORM SO MUCH!
xo
s
Lyla says
“I’m so proud! I’m so proud!”
Aaawww, she’s soooo sweet! Especially when she asked to drive to Santa to say “thank you!”.
:-)))))
Marc C says
Side note… LEGO, not Legos. never legos. LEGO is the brand, the products are pieces or bricks. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Good to know!
xo
s
Susan says
Lasterday!!!
~ best new word ever!
Alice H says
She is adorable and so smart. She didn’t even have to count the eggs, she just looked at it and said “um 3 of them!” you guys must be so proud just like she is!!
YoungHouseLove says
That surprised us! She’s getting so good with numbers and letters!
xo
s