Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve just isn't the same unless I'm at my mom and dad's. Our family traditions are really centered around that night. I'm glad Dan agrees too. The first time Dan met my family, it was Christmas time. The house was decorated to the hilt....my mom followed the motto that if it doesn't move, decorate it....which means ribbons on each light fixture, twinkle lights everywhere, and music in the air! Dan felt like he had walked into a winter wonderland...and to top it off (way back in 2000) my grandparents were there the day he came to my home, and they could easily be mistaken for Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause! I always remember Christmas time growing up feeling magical and dreamy. Now that I'm grown up, that feeling has lessened but at the same time, I love as I watch my kids light up at the excitement and magic of Christmas.

One cool tradition my parents' community does with the help of the scouts, is luminaries. They sell paper bags and candles and then a couple days before Christmas, they come around in a truck full of sand and dump shovel fulls every few hundred feet for us to fill the bags and place the candle inside. Then everyone lights them at dusk, parks their cars in the driveways, and along with looking at the Christmas lights on the houses, we see the streets lined with candle light. It's really a beautiful sight. The kids LOVE to help fill the bags with sand and place the candles inside.

After loading up on food....funeral potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and ham, we head into the living room for some festivities. One of our favorite traditions is playing the bells....one year, my brother (who was on a low budget for Christmas) made one of my most favorite gifts for each of us... these pipe bells. He measured and cut pipe for hours and it is truly a gift that keeps on giving! Plus- it always brings out the laughs.Amid the singing and playing, there's always your teenage behavior that we put up with....that's my aunt trying to escape the wrath of her son :)

After the bells, we sing Christmas carols while my mom plays the piano. Then there's a pitiful duet of Sleigh Bells on the piano by my mom and me, or my sister and mom or sometimes both me and my sister with my mom (switching mid way). We only play it once a year so it's pretty rusty every time, but impressive too with how we can pretty much pick right back up each year. Next comes our annual 12 days of Christmas chorus. Each day is sung by someone in the family.....Dan's favorite is the 5th Day of Christmas with 5 golden rings....that guy loves to get a laugh...he was helping Kaitlyn conduct the whole thing this year. Whether you are tone deaf or not, everyone sings...that's what makes it so fun.
A tradition my family didn't have that I always wish we did is Pajamas on Christmas Eve. I had plenty of friends who got new PJ's on Christmas Eve and I always dreamed of starting the tradition with my own family.
And best of all...I get to watch my kids and their cousins participate in the Nativity scene....which never disappoints.
(Cole looks awesome...I think the sheep was life size)
Top off the night with some decadent 3 layer pudding pie and there you have a magical night that we then start counting down the days to do it all over again!