Hellobee

Years ago, when Mr. Dolphin and I first got engaged, we had no idea how the holidays would work. We lived in San Francisco near my family at the time, while Mr. Dolphin’s family primarily lives in Seattle. That first year, we decided to try to see all our families for Christmas, and with both of our parents divorced and three remarried, it was a lot of Christmas! We saw my dad and stepmother in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, then we went to my mom’s for dinner and midnight mass. On Christmas morning, we flew to Seattle and spent time with my mother-in-law and her husband for lunch and the afternoon, then it was off to my father-in-law and his wife for Christmas dinner.

The following year we ended up with three Christmases, with Mr. Dolphin’s brother flying in and joining us. We saw both of my parents on Christmas Eve, then drove down to Santa Barbara to spend Christmas day with Mr. Dolphin’s extended family. One Christmas less than the year before, but still a bit much for my preference.

For several years after that, we started alternating years. We would spend one Christmas with my family, then the next year with Mr. Dolphin’s. We probably would continue this alternating travel plan today if we hadn’t gotten pregnant. Once we found out we were having Lion, we sat down and had a serious conversation about the craziness of holiday travel and traveling with little ones. We immediately agreed that we did not want to travel for Lion’s first Christmas (in 2014)  and would reevaluate thereafter. Then, the next year (last year), I was seven months pregnant and the thought of traveling across the country with a young toddler and being high-risk seemed like a bad combination. This year, we didn’t even have a discussion about holiday travel and just assumed we would stay in DC. To be honest, while we miss our family a lot, I love the special traditions we are building together and am grateful not to be traveling during the holidays. Here’s what we do to make our Christmas special.

Exchanging of ornaments. Our Christmas tree only holds ornaments since we’ve been married. Mr. Dolphin and I exchange an ornament every year for Christmas and it is a lot of fun remembering when and why we gave each other a particular ornament. Because I always give Mr. Dolphin a themed Christmas gift, his ornament often fits in with that year’s theme. We also pick up an ornament whenever we travel and have started picking up multiple ornaments from each destination: one for us, one for the kids. We’ve started purchasing one ornament a year for our kids and I hope Lion and Panda will enjoy going through their collections each year. When the are grown, I hope they will cherish the collection of ornaments each will have.

Baking cookies for tree-trimming. Last weekend, the Dolphin family purchased our tree and pulled out all of our Christmas decorations. Before we started decorating, though, Lion helped me whip up a batch of oatmeal cookies and cream cheese rolls. Desserts are such a rarity in the Dolphin household that Lion knew cookies signaled a special event.

Setting up our wooden nativity scene. My mother was a big collector of Christmas decorations. She went big at Christmas, with giant candy canes lining our walkway, angels, bears, apples, nutcrackers and Santas appearing in almost every nook and cranny of the house. Every year, she would eagerly scout out Home Depot, Target and other stores beginning on December 26th, so that she could add to the Christmas collection. My favorite of all her Christmas items, though, was an old wooden nativity scene that she’s had for as long as I can remember (she had another one, as well, but I was always drawn to the simple wooden scene). I fondly remember setting it up every year, and after I had kids, I asked whether I could have it. Lion loved setting it up this year and learning about all the different people and animals. I hope Lion and Panda look forward to setting up the nativity each year as much as I did as a child.

Attending mass on Christmas Eve. I have only ever done Christmas mass on Christmas Eve. Last year, we went to a 4pm service at our local church which was lovely and, while crowded, was nowhere near as bad as our usual parish (which was standing room only thirty minutes prior to the service starting). We plan to continue going to the 4pm mass for awhile, until our children grow a bit older and can handle a later mass time. Lion loves going to Sunday mass “to see big Jesus” and I know he is looking forward to seeing the nativity on Christmas Eve.

Eating dim sum on Christmas morning. This tradition has actually evolved from my own Christmases with my mother. We used to go to midnight mass (actually around 10pm) with some of our close family friends, then would return home and eat lots of food until midnight, at which point we would exchange gifts. The dinner was held potluck style, but my mom would always go to the Chinese market for roast pork and soy sauce chicken. Mr. Dolphin loves dim sum type food, so I will make gyoza the day before, and will also buy char siu bao (steamed pork bun), roast pork, and siu mai (pork/shrimp dumpling).

Having a special Christmas dessert. Mr. Dolphin always manages to talk me into making dessert on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, I made creme brulee muffin, which were delicious and a big hit. This year, I’m thinking of making cream cheese rolls, which are basically my variation on cinnamon rolls (since I don’t like cinnamon). Mr. Dolphin has been heavily hinting at me making homemade caramelized white hot chocolate, too.

I do miss the crazy big, loud and fun family gatherings at my dad’s family and spending time at the kids’ table (a.k.a. the fun table) with my eleven cousins, but I love the traditions and memories we’re making. And, of course, if any of our families ever want to come and spend Christmas on the East Coast, they know that we would more than welcome them.

Enjoying our last Christmas as a family of three!