Couple's Christmas

One of the difficult aspects about working in the medical field: people still get sick on the holidays.  2012 certainly has been a reminder of that.  My family has been experiencing this first hand, as my Granddad has been in and out of the hospital over the last month.  And, Tony and I knew when we graduated medical school in May that holiday time off no longer would be a guarantee.

This year, I was blessed with a glorious 4-day weekend over Christmas.  But, my other half was not so lucky... he drew the short straw and ended up having to work in the Cardiac ICU this December.  It is quite clear that heart attacks take no heed in holiday time off, as Tony ended up having to work both the Christmas Eve and Christmas shifts.

This meant no trip to NY for Christmas... we would not be enjoying "Drama Derry Doo" (aka potent champagne punch) at my family's house... 

...nor tasty home-cooked meals with Tony's family.  

We honestly were feeling a bit bummed heading into the Christmas season.  Given it is the holiday dedicated to celebrating Jesus' birth, friends and family play a pretty central role in the celebrations... after all, it wasn't just Mary and Joseph hanging out at the manger with Jesus.  Nevertheless, Tony and I were determined to make the most of this special holiday.  

In the weeks leading up to the big day, Tony and I enjoyed playing Santa by creating gift boxes to send home to family.  We had fun finding neat presents to send home.  We filled pretty boxes with Texas-style treats and festive decorations for family to enjoy.  

In the days leading up to Christmas, we planned our first (and likely last for a while) Couple's Christmas!  Given my time off, I took the head role in planning our special time together.  Butters happily kept me company during the preparations, prancing around the house in his little Santa hat.

For our Christmas Eve and Day, we enjoyed special meals filled with our favorite holiday foods... 

...prime rib, honey baked ham, homemade mashed potatoes, peppermint bark, and Christmas cookies. 

I tried some new recipes too, preparing homemade apple sauce, baked brie, and lemon vinaigrette salad topped with candied almonds and goat cheese.  

Butters (as usual) looked on longingly at the spread... and was pleased as punch to have a taste of prime rib with his dinner.  

Together, we listened to Christmas music and opened presents.  We teared up with the special reminders from home as we opened special gifts from family... especially those designed with Baby Bean in mind.  Tony and I felt like we were dating again, as we shared surprise gifts with one another.  Tony put one of my gifts in a decoy box... he certainly got me... I found my present tucked inside a Dr. Pepper fridge-pack box.

I finished up Christmas night with a special surprise for Tony.  This year, we joined many others in enjoying the Elf on the Shelf tradition.  We were a little late to the game, finding out about this cute idea just a week before Christmas.  For Tony's final gift, I created a scavenger hunt.  

Tony had to find numbered pieces of paper, 1-25, hidden in different places throughout the house... 

...using hints provided through photos of our elf, Marty.  

I was pretty proud of myself... it took Tony more than a half-an-hour to finish the game!

Overall, it turned out to be a pretty special Christmas.  It was difficult spending our first year away from home and family.  But, throughout our celebrations we were reminded over and over of our greatest blessing... each other.