Lafond Christmas 2018

Our Christmas was absolutely amazing! I must admit that I am surprised at how beautiful our Christmas turned out. We have been praying to move into our own place since before Thanksgiving. We put most of our efforts into trying to get a home before Christmas and it just didn’t happen. We applied to apartments that we loved and kept getting denied. To the point where we decided to give up and just book our hotel and focus on being comfortable there for a week. It was expensive and took the majority of our money. However we had a great sense of peace knowing where we would be for the holiday.

Since our money was low, I went out and used whatever gift cards I had to set up and prepare for Christmas. I went and bought an all white tiny pre-light tree and some little ornaments. I put it on top of the table in the hotel. We got some cheap stockings and stocking stuffers that I tied to the dresser knobs. I used these few inexpensive items to decorate our room.

My children didn’t want to much for Christmas this year thankfully but they did want a few items that were on the expensive side. I had to be honest with them and tell them that they would not be receiving certain gifts that they requested. They were understanding although they did not want to hear it. For the items we were able to afford, I used coupons to get the majority of the gifts. We also had family send us  money for the children’s gift so that we could purchase toys. That was a huge help for us. Not only was money a factor in our gift purchase the reality of space was also. We didn’t want to get much because we didn’t want to have a lot to carry. What we got was perfect and the kids loved them.

The hotel that we chose provided free breakfast which was perfect. We got up and went to the lobby together and had breakfast. We didn’t have plans for dinner although we had invites from friends. We decided that we would just spend the entire day together rather than going with others. While the children played and watched Christmas movies all day, Hashim went out to find dinner. Only place he found open was a Del Taco very similar to Taco Bell. He came back with 26 tacos and two drinks for us. We all ate tacos, candy and cookies. We spent the entire day together playing with toys and watching movies. It was not what I expected but it was beautiful and I will never forget it. The simplicity of the day spent with my family was absolutely perfect.