Let’s get into what Santa brought us. This Christmas felt extra special: in all seven of our past December 25ths together, we’d never woken up in our own beds to open presents under our own tree as a family — we’d always been traveling. This year, we finally stayed home.
Later in the morning we met up with a bunch of relatives to open gifts as one big, chaotic Petersik family, but first we carved out some quiet time to open presents just the four of us. Santa was particularly generous to one little Petersik this year (I’ve written about it in detail elsewhere), so Clara had a very exciting morning.
Clara’s big gift was a play kitchen, and she also got lots of clothes, books, toys, and that beloved leopard hat. Since people always ask what we gave each other, here’s a run-down of our gifts.
I did a little Pinterest sleuthing and discovered Sherry had been eyeing a pair of Kendra Scott earrings — so that’s what she unwrapped. They look great on her.
She gave me a couple of dangly ornaments in bicycle shapes (one actually looks like a moped) from Crate & Barrel, which feed my recent obsession with bike art. It was the perfect complement to the gift we got my dad: a bicycle-parts shirt from Etsy. Unlike me, he still rides regularly, so it was a hit.
We both ended up surprising each other with art. Sherry made me an incredibly thoughtful Boy Scout merit badge collage celebrating “skills that I excel at.” She found inspiration from vintage badges and, rather than buying expensive originals, borrowed and scanned badges from a friend’s son. She printed the badges that applied to me, arranged them in a neat grid on navy craft paper we had left over, and typed up a framed key explaining each one. The descriptions were sweet, funny, and meaningful — I especially laughed at the letter P badge that featured a squirrel icon. We haven’t decided on the perfect spot for it yet, but it’s simple, graphic, and I love it.
Sherry had my gift up on the wall before the day was over. It’s a custom poster I ordered from A Vintage Poster. The concept is a little quirky: it’s based on a line we heard on TV that became an inside joke for us — I adjusted the wording slightly and had it made into a one-of-a-kind poster. It’s whimsical, reminds us to dream big, and the coral color pairs nicely with one of Clara’s paintings nearby.
We also wanted to encourage Sherry to return to a hobby she loves: painting. She has a BFA and originally trained as an artist, but life pushed that aside. Knowing she’s mentioned missing art, we put together a little art starter kit with paints and a gift certificate to a local art supply store (picked specifically so she wouldn’t be tempted to spend it on house projects at a chain craft store). I goofed on the card — I almost signed it “John & Sherry” out of habit — but the sentiment was clear.
Sherry found some funny little buttons on Etsy that perfectly sum up our relationship and gave them to me. She also indulged my nerdy side with a tech gift: a remote for our camera, which should make tripod photos and family shots much easier.
Of course Burger wasn’t forgotten. He’s not exactly a morning pup, so his presents had to be delivered to him in bed. Clara picked out a lion toy for him, and he loved it — there’s even a great stretching-and-smiling photo of him to prove it.
Between this gift roundup and the post about Clara’s play kitchen, I think we’ve exhausted our Christmas coverage for now. What did you get or give this year? Anything especially awesome, DIY, or house-related?
P.S. We shared a big holiday post with more family photos and details over on our family blog.
Update: You can also find a list of our favorite holiday decor picks — many of them under $15 — on our favorite-finds page.