Christmas in da House

It's amazing what not living in a dorm room or having finals hanging over my head does for my Christmas spirit. It also helps that the Fam is having a big Christmas party today after N sings in the cherub choir at church. Spending the first week of December at an amazing resort in The Bahamas, immediately preceded by a few days with Rachel in Indiana didn't hurt either. (I'll post some Bahamas pictures when I get around to it.)
Yesterday was the most Christmasy day I've had in years. We had Christmas music playing on the stereo most of the day. I hung some lights around my window, and last night I watched White Christmas. The real adventure was making cookies with N. We've baked together before, but never to this level. We made sugar cookies, which he got to cut out with mini Christmas shapes, and decorate (he only licked the spoons then returned them to the frostings once before I caught him, so here's hoping no one catches his cold); we also made peanut butter blossoms, which he got to put the Hershey kisses on. This is probably the largest baking task I have ever taken on, so thanks to Becky Homecky for all those years of letting me help out with the pies at Thanksgiving -- turns out it prepared me this. The cookies turned out great, N was occupied for a few hours, and poor little B was mostly neglected in her Pack-n-play, but she coped.
Today I went on a search for something to wear to the aforementioned party (failed!) and for presents for the kids. Here's the thing about being a nanny: I will bear the brunt of every gift they receive. All the screeching and sirens and putting together of race tracks (which I am bad at, by the way) and cleaning up of glitter or paint or whatever other insanely messy things friends and relatives decide would be a good idea for N, it all lands on me. So I was definitely shopping for my sanity as much as for his fun. I found a great gift that he will enjoy, that won't make a mess, and that he can enjoy mostly independently. Not that I don't like playing with him; I do, but so many of his toys require me to put something together and by the time I finish he's usually either lost interest or gotten frustrated or injured himself or his sister. I never put him in front of the tv, and very rarely on the computer when I need him to be occupied, so I bought myself a few minutes of sanity. He can sit at the table with some water and paint his little re-usable activity card thingies (apparently it's hard to describe the toy . . .). Now if I'd only realized a few weeks ago that a plush baby bowling set was the perfect gift for B, and had time to find it in a store I'd be all set.
Tomorrow I'm going into the City to enjoy the lights and such. Yay for NYC at Christmas. I will be driving into Manhattan, so wish me luck.