I have wanted to check out the legendary Xmas decorations in Dyker Heights since i came to the US. In the first years, i spent all my Holidays back in Germany, and in the recent past, i wasn’t organized enough to follow through. This year, thanks to Team Harold, we got pointed to the epicenter of it all (84th Street between 11th and 12th Aves). The kids and i were fascinated by all the absurdly tacky craziness, but Sung couldn’t wait to head back home.

The kids woke up before the crack of dawn, so naturally our Xmas Morning snapshots look like they’re taken on Xmas Eve. Except for the PJ’s all around and some sleepy faces. The kids were particularly fond of “Santa’s” gifts from their wish list: a magic wand for Mika, and a dragon figure for Tobin. As you can see, nothing tops playing in the boxes … as long as dragon is nearby.

Like in the past years, we celebrate under our Xmas tree twice: on Xmas Eve (Heiligabend), we sing German carols and open packages we got from Germany. On Xmas Day, the kids get to rush to the tree in the morning to open the remaining gifts in their PJ’s … like all American children.

Tonight, the kids were allowed to open Omi Hilde’s gift – the annual wall calendar from our favorite German children’s book illustrator. They can’t wait for it to go up on their wall on January 1st! Omi and Opa’s lovely package was a huge hit as well, brimming with gifts for the whole family. Mika quickly took over the new book Opa Addi made, about the neighborhood cat that befriended not only my parents but also the kids these past years. Tobin immediately started building a house for his frog from the colorful construction cards, and Mika later joined in on the fun. Our German Xmas Eve wouldn’t be complete without potato salad, Knackwurst, and beer – a recipe that originates from my own great-grandmother, Omi Hedwig. I am already the fourth generation preparing the dish, and lots of good memories are tied to it. Traditionally, we would roast a duck on the following day, but Sung really doesn’t like duck at all. We have to come up with a new tradition for Xmas Day…

Last weekend, we finally got around baking our traditional Xmas cookies, as well as gingerbread men at Tobin’s special request. He did a fantastic job with the icing, while Mika went all out on the sugar cookie decorations again.

Tobin’s class worked on a very special Holiday gift to bring home to their loved ones – a wooden sculpture, representing all individual family members to take out and play with, and rearrange. Even Luna made it into our wooden family, complete with black and white fur and a long tail. My favorite part was seeing them all together on a table at school though. There is nothing cuter than a nation of stick figures and potato heads coming to life at once…

It’s been a while since they had their own play date, but Henry and Tobin are getting along as splendidly as ever. They spent a long time playing neighbors in a house with multiple units – here you can see Henry in the ground floor apartment and Tobin on the second floor.

At long last, Mika has earned Luna’s full trust. Mika loved Luna since she was born, but didn’t have a full understanding how to treat a cat different from a favorite stuffed animal. Now she respects and defends Luna’s personal space, and in return gets full access to her cuddling powers. Luna even started grooming Mika’s hair, and we had to explain to our puzzled child that this is a good thing…

Tobin’s class performed their Holiday Show, which was the seventh time we enjoyed watching a Choo Choo production. As always, the kids wrote the story all by themselves and produced a fantastic stage set. They took us on an underwater journey, featuring “Jolly Jolly” (extra jolly jellyfish), sea turtles, magic fish, sharks, and other sea creatures. Tobin, Bruno and Henry – all part of the school of sharks – looked adorable with their pinned-on fins and pointy teeth headbands. The boys got a bit skeptical when “Santa Claus” made his annual visit to the class, but enjoyed the story time and gifts he brought nonetheless.

Thanks to IKEA, making a gingerbread house doesn’t have to turn into an all-day production. Once the kids are bigger, it might be fun to come up with some custom architecture – but using the prefab set has been working perfectly fine for us. Also note the beautiful tree the kids picked with Sung this past Friday. We decorated it over the weekend and suddenly, it feels a lot more like December around here…

Mika has been making great progress with her current swim teacher. First, he got her comfortable with having the entire face submerged in water. Then, he weaned her off all floatation aids, and as of last weekend, he phased out flippers as well. Look at her swim … for real!

Note: she is wearing the new wetsuit she got from Halmoni and Harabogi for her birthday … thanks again!

Mika and her BFFs from preschool and second grade had the best of times at our sleepover party. The group was even tighter knit due to Mica and Olivia becoming friends on their own during summer camp this year. They started off with sushi dinner and custom soap bar making. Once the soaps were cooling down, the kids had ice cream cake and changed into their PJs. Everybody cuddled up on the couch with glowsticks and popcorn to watch Mika’s favorite in-flight movie of the year, Rio. Well after his bedtime, Tobin started his very own “sleepover party” in our room, surrendering his bed to much admired idol Gaang. The big kids chatted until after midnight (…) and woke up around 7:00 am. Waffle breakfast was served shortly after, which brought them back to life – at least until pickup time. Olivia’s invention, the “number seven brain shield” (last picture), kept everybody sane…

On the morning of Mika’s sleepover party, Tobin attended another birthday party – of his oldest friend, Bruno! All kids got to design their own t-shirt (Tobin featured Mika with her latest, missing tooth), made their own pizza, and had a great time playing all over. The scrumptious birthday cake brought them back to the table though, and little Sash kept up with the big kids.