Creating Christmas Keepers

Years ago my brother-in-law was lamenting the old school Christmas card. These days it's all family photos which, while nice, don't matter as much in era of socials. He missed what he called the Keepers -- cards so interesting or funny that you'd save them to display year after year. 

From that Christmas forward, I have made it my mission to create Keepers. And while not every one of my attempts have been worthy of hanging on to, at least I've been able to give an extra dose of laughs to my loved ones. Never a dull card. Enjoy!

I *heart* Breakfast

Holidays are so exciting for kids, but it's hard to get into it without going overboard on the stuff. To keep it simple but still special, I snagged a great idea from The Happiness Project Blog: Holiday breakfasts. The night before a holiday I decorate the kitchen table using whatever I have around the house. I've gotten a lot of mileage incorporating Lucas' preschool artwork in the  decor. The next morning I cook up a theme breakfast with little festive touches. Nothing crazy here. Heart-shaped toast, red and green sprinkles on the pancakes, that sort of thing.

Lucas seems to like it, though I'll admit I'm way more excited than he is at this point. Still, it's a nice tradition I hope to continue. And not just for the major holidays. I fully intend to throw some curveballs in now and then. A Groundhog's Day feast?  Arbor Day brunch?  I could go crazy over here.

Here's this morning's Valentine breakfast. The flicker stream also has a few shots from to Halloween and Christmas morning.

Holiday Breakfast Set on Flickr.