(a late) merry christmas!

A belated Merry Christmas from the Webbs! We've been loving our week in South Carolina with family and friends, trying to not think to much about the fiscal cliff, and preparing to ring in the New Year back in DC. 

christmastime in washington

One of the things I told Richard I really wanted to do this year was take advantage of all the fun things going on around DC at Christmastime. So to kick off the holiday season, last Saturday we went on the Mount Vernon candlelight tour. We (somewhat sadly) learned that Christmas decorations were very simple in George and Martha's colonial world, so there are no Christmas trees in the house. They were a German tradition that didn't become popular in the United States until the 19th century. But there were plenty of beautiful trees in the Education Center.

As we waited for our tour to begin, we listened to period Christmas music, very different from what we listen to today. 

Mount Vernon by candlelight is absolutely beautiful, but it's tough to capture that in a photo. We'd been in the house once before, but I enjoyed going back again to see it decorated with greenery and all the sweet treats the Washingtons would have enjoyed.

At the end of our tour, after picking up some hot cider and ginger snaps, we went over to meet Aladdin the camel. George Washington actually purchased a camel one year for his personal amusement, and Mount Vernon acquired Aladdin about five years ago. He was sleepy, but I still loved getting to see him.

We also picked out a tree Saturday night and went with a tall and skinny one this year. It's not quite fully decorated, but it sure does make our house smell good!

On Sunday night, we joined Max and Ashley and little Anderson for Zoo Lights at the National Zoo. It was an unseasonably warm night, but seeing the lights put me in a Christmas mood. And we discovered Anderson's love for kettle corn- he was obsessed!

always love the elephants

Panda Claus actually looked a little sad

Smithsonian made out of legos

Anderson making a stuffed friend

Richard's favorite part of Zoo Lights...all the trains

clemson-carolina weekend and a happy birthday

After a DC-area Thanksgiving, we were so excited to get home for the Clemson vs. Carolina game. We flew in Friday and had a fun dinner at Cribb's Kitchen with both families. I pulled the furry vest back out for the trip home, and of course found my sweet SIL at the airport dressed very similarly. Love her, and love the faux fur. 

all the "kids" at Cribb's Kitchen

Oh the Clemson game...I really, really thought we'd break our three-year losing streak. The weather was gorgeous, the tailgating with both brothers and good friends was fun, and then there was the game. The Tigers kept it close, but it sure got ugly at the end. Two questionable pass interference calls in the 4th quarter, and I became a screaming, crazy woman. So, so frustrating. The only thing that makes me happy about the loss is that I no longer live in Columbia with all the Carolina fans.

visiting with Nic and Kayce- we're so excited to welcome their first baby in March 2013!

Will playing a little cornhole

original three Davis children

side view of a shot with Jeff

Jeff, Leah, Richard, me and Will at Leah's family tailgate...so fun!

loved meeting Leah's sister and brother-in-law

Jeff and Leah

still happy and hopeful at this point

Will has a great group of college friends, and it was fun to see several of them at the game

sweet Sam, who interned in our office and will graduate from Clemson in May

most exciting 25 seconds in college football

Richard in his Wofford toboggan

Jaime and Kellianne, friends since preschool

 After the football game, my mother's birthday was Sunday the 25th. I think the best part of celebrating was having our whole family together in one place! We had a nice lunch and birthday cake of course. Thankful to have such a great mom!

love that the Webbs join us for family celebrations

thankful...a week late

Thanksgiving this year was different than it normally is. Richard and I spent the holiday away from family, as he had to work on both Thursday and Friday. Working then meant we could be home over the weekend for the Clemson-South Carolina game, but we sure missed our annual traditions and being with family! Thankfully our dear friends Amy and Jon invited us to join their families for Thanksgiving dinner in Bethesda. We have gotten to know both families well through their wedding festivities, so we were thrilled to join them for the holiday.

We started our festivities off by seeing the Signature Theatre's production of Dreamgirls. It was so good...but I kept hoping Beyonce or Jennifer Hudson would appear on stage!

on Signature's steps

Richard has spent past Thanksgiving mornings running in Spartanburg's Turkey Trot, so we signed up to participate in the Turkey Chase our local YMCA puts on. It was HUGE. Definitely a couple thousand runners participating in the 10K and the 2 miler. We opted for just the 2 miles, but I was proud of us for getting up and going though.

ready for the start

and we're off!

the turkey, who looked a lot the Virginia Tech Hokie

another turkey

Thanksgiving dinner with the Gray, Dickens and Sharp families was beautiful. Amy's sister Ashley hosted everyone, and her place settings and center pieces were just perfect. Amy got to use her fine china too, which is pictured below. The only thing I regret about the dinner is not going back for seconds! 

love Amy's salad plates and the handmade place cards by her niece Hadley

Jon's mom making her way around the buffet

delicious pies for dessert

my Derby pie, using an fabulous recipe borrowed from one Sweet Reba- I also made a caramel pecan pie from Southern Living that was rich but incredible, if I do say so myself

thankful for these dear friends

In addition to friends who look out for us and are always gracious and inclusive, I'm thankful for the health of my family, a job I enjoy, having my Army husband home and not treating wounded warriors overseas, all the men and women who are serving away from their families and loved ones, and a faithful God who has seen us through a year that's not been the easiest.

"Give thanks is all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

JLW Holiday Shops

After a weekend full of moving 40 merchants in to the Sphinx Club, a Sneak Peek preview party, a scholarship breakfast, a Libations for Literacy event with both a silent auction and live auction, a Pictures with Santa event, lots of happy shoppers and moving 40 merchants back out, the Junior League of Washington's Holiday Shops for this year is in the books. I loved serving on the committee this year with the League, and I was amazed by all the hard work it took to pull it off. So impressed with the ladies on the Steering Committee, our bagpipe-playing Santa and the amount of money raised for the improving literacy in the DC-metro area.

looking down on our great vendors

setting up for the silent auction

all dressed up for Libations for Literacy

our Santa and Mrs. Claus- so sweet and kind, with the most fabulous costumes I've seen

loved them

our Special Events subcommittee, a little worn out on Sunday afternoon

our Santa playing the bag-pipes for the crowd...great way to start the holiday season!