The Pajama Game

I don't know about you, but I pretty much get pajamas every Christmas. I love that. No complaints. And growing up, my sister Linda and I, two years apart, always got our Christmas pajamas a week or so before, had to have them on for Christmas Eve. We even have an old family 8mm movie, transferred to video, and I still have to transfer it to DVD since it's been too long since I've seen it, but it's Christmas Eve and though Linda was just a baby, still wearing those little "onesies" my brothers and I all had our Christmas pajamas on. The boys all matched exactly and mine weren't far off.

I know so many families do that, matching PJs or not, kids in their Christmas pajamas has been a tradition for a long time. Pajamas, socks and underwear too, though not what you're looking for under the Christmas tree, are great simple gifts and you usually end up much happier about those gifts when you open your dresser drawers looking for clean undergarments!

This past weekend, my sister Linda and her husband Bob hosted their annual family Christmas Party. It started out because their daughter Hannah and our niece Irene both share the same birthday, today, December 18th, so it was a birthdays and Christmas celebration for our family. Born 10 years apart, Irene hit one of life's milestones, 30 years young, and Hannah will be marking one of the milestones in her life next year, the magical 21. Oh 21, what a wonderful time. Many more wonderful birthdays and milestones to come for sure, but at 21, I think, you really find yourself, kind of figure out what you want, where you're going, and are actually able to do it too. And it sure was a fun age!

The week before is also easier for us all to get together because there's been a lot of young kids in my family now for years. Irene and Hannah may be 30 and 20, but the youngest in my large group of nieces and nephews is only six, they want to be home on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa and the same on Christmas Day, when they want to play with their gifts. Some of us do get together on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but only with family that live close by, less than a half hour's drive, no kid wants to be stuck in traffic on those days.

So this past Saturday was the day of our party and it was a great time for all my family that was able to attend, especially the kids. You never see my nephews, except if they're looking for cookies, chips (Shane is the "chipser" man!), something to drink, in need of something, never to greet whoever has arrived, just "can I have..."! They disappear, having so much fun we have to drag them away to get them to sit for dinner. We took a family group photo this year and Jojo wanted to stay downstairs playing a video game, my brother had to drag him up, was trying to get the frown off his face while we were getting ready for the shot and had to actually hold Jojo's cheeks up in a smile (still can tell he's not smiling) but it's a funny picture.

The girls, on the other hand, hang around, want you to join in their activities, play with them, TALK! Girls can talk, and I know I am guilty myself! We were lucky this year, my niece Jessie who is a young adult, 24, was there, and the girls were having Jess do their hair as she is a hairdresser and of course they look up to their older cousin, just the way it goes. Jess also let them do her hair, she looked funky, beautiful but funky!

And this year my nieces, Ashley (10), Gracie (8) and Bella (2 weeks away from 7), all got matching Christmas pajamas. They looked adorable (and they knew it). But my Ashley is dying to be a part of my blog. She loved the Mug Shots blog I posted a while back and decided to make her own. It's in this short video I made from the little Pajama Party these three cutie pies had, but just in case you can't read her sign, it says "Ashers, NYPD, wanted for eating too much cake, if seen call 911 immediately". She's too funny that girl!

Ashley was born an actress, so smart, she makes me think about how old she really is when she comes out with some of the opinions and thoughts she has. She gave me attitude when she was a one year old. She knew she had me wrapped around her little finger, would ignore me, she just knew she could snap her fingers and I'd come running to snuggle her and give her lovin'.

The girls had fun posing for their Christmas Pajama pictures and after a while started charging the rest of the family one dollar to have their picture taken with the Pajama Gang, made a sign and all! For hours, I keep hearing them calling me back into the TV room, saying, come take our picture. I asked them, teasing of course, what do I get out of this, I'm taking the pictures and you're making money!

They bring magic to our holidays these kids. I hope you are lucky enough to have at least one around this season, their enthusiasm, happiness and belief in magic is contagious, you can't help but feel good watching them love life!

Enjoy my nieces little Pajama Game! Oh, and I couldn't leave Scout and Casper out, they are just too cute and Casper is always making a bed out of his big sister Scout.