CHRISTMAS

Tonight is my extended family Christmas Party at my parents house.

I'm sad to be missing it right now. So I thought I would share what I'm missing out on:

• Everyone catching up and sharing stories of the last year
• Eating lamb/ham/ or whatever kind of meat 
• Eating until your stomach is completely full and then eating more
• Sitting at the "kids" table wishing one day I could eat at the adult table
• Realizing the kids table is WAY cooler than the adult table
• Watching all the great grand kids bang their plates or knives on the table just excited to open presents
• Watching my  mom and grandma clean up after everyone as they always do (yes I said Watching)
• Getting  the kids ready for the big nativity scene

It used to be us getting ready for the big scene, scraping together costumes. But we have handed that down to all the great grand kids and my mom now has professional costumes :)

• Listening to Grandpa read the story out of the bible 
• Taking pictures of all the adorable kids in their costumes. (or of myself being the ass, and  Max being the reindeer....)
• Singing songs around the tree, feeling the love our the whole family and remembering the true reason for the season
• Opening Presents!!!!
• Saying good bye to the family once again

Since I can remember we have gone to my grandma's house for Christmas Eve. Doing each of these things every year. Each child used to have to sing or do some kind of act to open presents. I would always sing a solo and I have no clue why because I was horrible! The boys would sing a song about a hay penny. The older girls would do their duets to "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" and the younger kids would try and sing but were always too shy. My Grandma is amazing. She seriously went crazy with these parties. Making sure it was the time our our lives; as it always was. I'm so thankful she had us do these things every year. We hated it on the outside, but deep down loved every second of it. And now looking back and not being able to be there I wish more than anything I could be dressed up singing right now.

After the party was all said and done we would go home and open our Christmas pj's from our parents. Oh the matching pj's :) Then gather around to watch the Griswald Christmas Vacation or the Christmas Story.

Thanks family for helping me feel the chirstmas spirit every year!

Now this year I have my own little family to take care of.
Let's hope I can make it as fun for them as my mom and Grandma did for me!

Let the traditions begin..