Christmas Swag

I'm a little sad that Christmas is over. Since we put our tree up so late, I feel like it's just beginning. I, however, am glad that the holiday spending is over...until New Year's....but that's a whole other story for a whole different day.

Christmas was quite the success this year. Even though we have moved away from family and friends, I still felt pretty connected to everyone this year. We exchanged boatloads of cards and sent flat rate boxes to each other. I received some very thoughtful cards and gifts from friends this year. They deserve a whole different post.

Today is about our family gift exchange. What a treat that was! It was very hard to shop for my mother and my husband especially... but I think that I did a good job. Everyone seemed happy with their gifts.

Christmas Eve
My mom came into town and we hit the beach. So did 1,000 other people. The weather was beautiful. It was warm, but not too hot.

It was a beautiful sunset.

After some burgers and some beers, we headed home to unwrap presents!

One of his gifts (that wasn't a surprise) was a canvas of a picture he took of the Phillies spring training stadium in Clearwater. It's hard to tell here, but it's a great picture and the colors from the sunset are stunning! I also got him a whole mess of Old Navy clothes {practically enough to start a whole new wardrobe} and one of these guys:


A helium remote controlled shark. Awesome.

Before.

Ummm... wtf! My husband gave me a book on celebrity narcissists. Is he trying to tell me something?

He also gave me some perfume, a charm bracelet, a salad and queso dip tray, a pizza tray, some spatulas, a yoga mat, a gift card to Kohl's {which I already spent}, and some other random goodies.

My mom was super generous this year. All our gifts were for both of us -- though I'll probably use them more than he will... ;)

She also gave us nice new sheets, a down comforter, and some memory foam pillows!

Even the dogs get a gift.

{I am in awe of how beautiful this dog is. We rescued him almost a year ago and he was shaved due to matted fur. He is so calm, so nice, and so beautiful with his fur back.}

Personalized treats from my partner in the Kitty and Canine Swap sent by Stephanie.

Christmas
The next day I woke up early to make some treats.

Jalepeno Popper Dip. MUST make. SO good. Thanks Pinterest!

Source: browneyedbaker.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Source: karaspartyideas.blogspot.com via Krystal on Pinterest

I made these and put them in bags with hot cocoa packages. Hopefully they're yum!

I did some homemade peppermint bark and put them in glass jars. I also threw in some pretzels that I dipped in melted chocolate with sprinkles and/or M&M toppings!

Another Pinterest try...

I don't know if it's a fail or not. You melt Peppermints to make a plate. It wasn't really sticky, but it wasn't really dry either. It is VERY humid in FL so I'm sure this would've became a fail the minute that it was taken outside. It's cute though!

Source: Uploaded by user via Krystal on Pinterest

Now that's a Christmas dinner.

We opened gifts and everything was awesome! I got some more Scentsy stuff, a record player, my husband got an XBox 360 with the Kinect. I got a beautiful ring with my birthstone, an electric wine bottle opener (necessary!), some Vera Bradley stationary with a market tote, and a whole mess of other goodies I can't even begin to describe.

Source: walmart.com via Krystal on Pinterest

Now I just need some vinyl!

A fun surprise was this guy:

The colors are beautiful and it had a red bow clutch and a nice set of brushes. Such a beautiful gift!

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I've spent approximately 48 hours in pajamas and need a shower.