How my family does Christmas

First we exchange names...we don't try to keep the names a secret, it's too difficult and pointless, and besides, how would be buy gifts for one another without directly consulting the giftee.
On Christmas morning we wake up way too early (like 9:30, we all agree this is early, excepting the mother and the father).
Jesse and the Christmas bear make us breakfast

Then the gifting starts

I am finally a true student of West Chester, all I need is UGGs to complete my transformation courtesy of Kathryn



What? A ski jacket that will keep you alive in the Arctic, the Jungle, and the Desert, that can turn into a tent, a bomb shelter, and an SUV all in one half hour?

This one is just a ski jacket, although it does offer the ability to become just a fleece...

Now, what makes the Burkholder Christmas different from everybody else's, is that those looks of suprise and excitement are only partially genuine. All of those gifts were hand picked by the person on the receiving end. I picked out those sweatpants and was present at the point of purchase, I also took them to the dry cleaner's to have them hemmed. My brother picked that jacket out and watched me buy it for him, and my sister also picked her present and tried it on when it came in the mail to make sure it was the right fit and color. The excitement you see in these pictures is becuase we have known exactly what we are getting, where it is hiding, and that we cannot use it until Christmas. Does this make our Christmas less fun? No, it however has the adverse affect, it tends to make our Christmas not only fun, but funny. It's just how we do in Burkholderland.

p.s. here is a card I made for a very special family. Made with ink taken out of a ball point pen and painted onto the paper.