A Kentucky Christmas and a New England New Years

Over the last couple of years we have leaned into the matching pajama Christmas trend. This year Reese led the efforts in selecting some very soft winter jammies that were a big hit for the girls. Unfortunately the style did not include something for John and as you will see in a later picture he had to go in a different direction. The Christmas morning photo may be one of our most consistent pictures taken over the years and it never gets old to hear our girls wake up on Christmas morning. The nice thing as they have gotten older is we typically have a cup of coffee and some good conversation before they start to stir.

 

In these days of modern technology the girls have started to create Giftful websites that allow them to make Christmas lists of links to exactly what they want. It is both nice and irritating as it allows us to get what they want but also takes some of surprise/joy out of the process. But we still manage to throw in a few things they aren't expecting. For Callie it was a laptop in preparation for college and some airpods.

 

We should also be clear that both girls are always extremely appreciative of every gift they open and also want to be sure that we are opening our gifts along with them. Reese in particular has always been the most expressive gift opener ever and she is a joy to be with on days like this. In fact the things that she can get the most excited about tend to be items that might not get the same reaction from most. We have a video of Reese opening up a 35oz container of bursting Boba Pearls where she shows the most excitement of the entire morning. Her sweetness knows no bounds. 

 

John has a running joke that the girls are very familiar with - if someone is trying to figure out what a gift is before they open it, John will say, regardless of the size or shape, that it is probably a football. This year Callie was rightfully proud of her gift for John, because in box inside this box, she had wrapped a football just for him. Best. Gift. Ever. 

 

In a surprise twist, John and Sarah abandoned their children for New Years. Really we just abandoned Reese because Callie already had plans. The short story is when John called his buddy Amit to wish him a happy birthday on December 23, Amit talked him into having both of us fly up to Boston to bring in 2026 with his family. After some hesitation and a brief consultation with Reese we decided the 36 hour New England interlude was exactly what we needed. 

 

Amit and Una know how to entertain and they are very good to their friends and family. There were ten folks in total ringing in the new year at the Basak house and we had a great time. The food was tasty, including the caviar appetizer that Una prepared, and the company was even better. We were able to take a cold but wonderful walk with Amit, caught up with Una, learned from Maya what she was up to, gave high fives to Saching, spent time on some car rides with Anjin, and reconnected with Georgia and her family. 

 

You come across a lot of people of the course of your life and when you are lucky the best ones allow you to hang around. John and Amit have a special relationship and we are so fortunate that as the years have gone by the relationship has expanded to include our families. And for those wondering Reese had a wonderful time watching Stranger Things and eating popcorn and M&Ms into the late evening. Thankfully she had a wonderful dinner with the Abrahams as well. We also facetimed with her at midnight all was well. Long story short, we would do this trip again in a heartbeat! Looking forward to a great and eventful 2026!