Christmas Eve

We actually got three days of Christmas this year. December 23rd was Christmas Eve Eve and was spent celebrating with my extended family on my dad's side. My entire life we have spent Christmas Eve with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As the cousins grow up and marry, it has been decided that we will celebrate together on the 23rd to get the most people there. It was also a little different this year because my mom hosted instead of my grandma. My grandparents recently downsized and moved out of their house that they lived in for the s 25 years so the torch has been passed to their kids for hosting. Even though there were some changes, it was still the same wonderful celebration. We had our traditional dinner of chili, garlic bread, layered jello, shrimp, and blackberry sundaes for dessert. When Mike was first introduced to this dinner, he found it to be a bit random...I'm not sure what else you are supposed to eat on Christmas Eve.

We had a short program afterwards where all the little kids sang some songs and then each family was responsible for presenting something. A great thing about having kids is that you can just have them get up and do something and call it good. Little Man was all set to sing "Picture a Christmas" (a beautiful little song he learned in primary and was excited to share) but the pressure of the moment must have gotten to him, because he only got out a couple of words. We ended up singing it all together.

I forgot my camera that night, but it was a really great evening and I enjoyed spending it with my family (we missed those who weren't able to make it).

Little Man, Ellie, Kiwi, and Lexy

Christmas Eve was spent with Mike's parents, sister and her family, and brothers. It was another wonderful evening. Here's a picture of the four cousins. They were all just a teensy bit (meaning bouncing off the walls) excited that night, but they sure looked cute. Mom R. had everything set up so festive and fancy looking. I wish I would have taken a picture of the table before dinner; it was gorgeous. We enjoyed a delicious home made meal finished off with Cheesecake Factory cheesecake.

Kiwi holding up some dollhouse people from Grandma and Grandpa

Afterwards we opened gifts from one another. We did it one at a time which made it really nice because we were able to see what others got and it forced the kids to focus on something besides tearing into their own gifts. After the wrapping paper had been cleared we sat around and talked and the kids played. It was a really nice night.

Little Man guessing where Santa was wearing the new p.j.s Grandma made for him

On the way back from Mike's parents house, we happen to pass very near an air traffic control tower. We pointed out the flashing red light (we didn't actually confirm it was Rudolph) in the sky to Little Man and started getting worried that Santa would beat us to our house. We assured him he wouldn't. We also took several back routes to our house through neighborhoods to see Christmas lights (Christmas light drives were a regular thing during the month of December in our house). One particular street was absolutely lit up and some of the neighbors had even coordinated the lighting of their outside trees giving the feeling of driving through a little Christmas tunnel. Warm and together in our car with the Christmas music playing and the glowing lights, I had one of those perfectly content moments where I can't help but realize how blessed I am in my life.

Kiwi about passed out on the way home so she went straight to bed, but Little Man set out a cookie and milk for Santa, sprinkled some reindeer food outside (oatmeal mixed with glitter) so they would be able to find our house, guessed where Santa was, and read The Night Before Christmas with Mike and I. He then started to get really nervous asking anxiously what every sound he heard was. I think the reality of a big red man in a suit actually coming into his house was beginning to freak him out a bit. After being reassured that Santa would not be coming for many hours yet, that he did not come into bedrooms, and that he could come into our room if he was scared, he was finally able to go to sleep (he did appear in our room at about 3 A.M. wondering it the big guy had shown yet).

Reading Night Before Christmas

With the little ones tucked snugly in their beds, Mike and I went downstairs. I finished some last minute work on my mom's present and we watched A Wonderful Life which neither of us had actually seen all the way through before. We both liked it and I will be adding it to my list of must watch Christmas movies.

After that, we set up Christmas and this time we were the ones jumping at every little sound worried about a little p.j. clad towhead sleepily walking down the stairs.