We...
...ate Mexican posole, made by my sister, Robyn, a wonderful pork and hominy soup garnished with avocados, cilantro, chile, and limes,
...took turns reading Luke chapter 2 verses 1-19, each of us explaining what the verses mean in our own words,
...each opened one gift and practiced gratitude by thanking and hugging the person who gave us the gift...
...roasted marshmallows, a gift Uncle gave the 7-year-old girl, and placed them on graham crackers and Hersey's bars, gifts Uncle gave the 9- and 13-year-old boys. His goal was that they practice team work, and they did!...
I hope all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to hearing how your day was!
I went hot tubbing, had good conversation, and ate chestnuts roasted on an open fire.
ReplyDeleteDid you not do that last year for New Year's Eve? Sounds fun. :) We missed you a lot, though. :(
ReplyDeleteBrian and I were the eldest in both of our families when we got married. So we started a tradition.
ReplyDeleteThen when first my sister and then one brother got marrried, they married people whom were also the eldest in their respective families. So our tradition was able to continue. And the other families copied it.
Then two years ago when my youngest brother got married, it turned out his wifes family is in Florida during the winter. So our tradition continues, and one year they are here for it, and the next they aren't, they go there instead.
The 'tradition' was/is, that we do my side of the family on Christmas Eve. That was in part because we use to do ours the night before heading out of state to visit all of our relatives for Christmas. Then once we started staying in state, we'd do ours after the Christmas Eve service, and do it with our "adopted" relatives on Christmas Day.
We would then spend Christmas Day with the other side of the couples family. In other words, Brian and I would spend it with his side of the family, my sister, with her husbands side, etc.
Once Brian and I had kids, we would do our Christmas with them the day after Christmas. It kept the excitement going a bit longer .... :-D
Now that son #1 is married, and living out of state, we will only see them here every other year (:-{). But I wouldn't want them only doing it there every year - so I'll share o;-p
So, while that doesn't exactly explain WHAT it is we do on Christmas Eve, like you had asked, it does sort of explain it, just from a different perspective ;-}
no no, last year we went sauna-ing. totally different. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, that picture of the mantle makes me MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
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