Dan then went golfing with his dad and brothers (A Christmas Eve morning tradition) while I raced around the house trying to get everything loaded up to go.
Christmas isn't Christmas without spending Christmas Eve at my mom's. The first time Dan walked into my parents' house when we were dating was at Christmas time. He said he thought he had walked right into the North Pole--or a Christmas wonderland. And then when he met my grandparents...he was sure they were Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause. My parents have been gone the last 2 Christmases so this was long awaited for me. With my parents' addition, they had even more room for the hundreds of nativities my mom has collected from around the world.
While we wait for dinner time, we get to work on the luminaries. My parents' community always has luminaries lining the streets on Christmas Eve. Each household purchases a bag for like 20 dollars and it has a bunch of large, white lunch sacks and tea candles. Then they deliver piles of sad along the streets and you fold the top of the bags, fill them with sand, and then put a candle in it and at dusk, everyone lights the candles and the whole community is just lined with these luminaries. It has been a tradition since I was young and it was fun to watch Allison have so much fun with her cousin Savannah, doing what I used to do. The men of course dread it but they know it's their job each year since the women are in the kitchen.
After we eat (ham, not turkey--an unfortunate realization to Dan and I who forgot that Christmas DAY is turkey.) we gather by the piano for Christmas Caroling and Sleighride piano duets--which don't get practiced all year--just played a few times each Christmas, and solos--one song beautifully performed by Connor's wife, Jody. Then on to the bells. Thanks to James, we each have our own family set.
Then some of us went to look at the Christmas lights and luminaries. I took the two girls and they looooved them.
And lastly, we let our kids open one gift. Christmas PJ's. We didn't do this growing up and I always wanted them so we are doing them each year for our kids.
Of course we couldn't leave until the boys watched the Charger game which had been restricted from viewing by my mother until all the activities were completed. It's nice to have them watch it on DVR. 30 minutes of neglect is so much better than 3!
We headed home while our kids fell easily asleep in the car. But I was sure to do the job myself, of leaving milk and cookies for Santa.
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