Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has turned into one of my favorite days of the holiday season. There is lots of cooking, family time and church. We did something a little different this year for dinner...I ordered the meal from Harris Teeter. We did this at Thanksgiving at my mom's and it turned out pretty good. Christmas was no exception.


Early that morning, we made cookies for Santa. I guess I should have checked our sprinkle colors before 
cookie making because we ended up with most pink and blue cookies!!!

This past year we joined a new church and their children's service is on Christmas Eve morning, including the pageant. Will got to be a shepherd in the pageant. More on that in another post.

After church we picked up some Char-Grill for lunch and then everyone settled in for a nap. My parents went to Kohl's for some last minute shopping, of course, and Santa and his elf got to work. After naps, the children went to the park with my parents for a bit so Santa could really get some work done.

someone was not being very cooperative for pictures

Dinner was very good and we all ate way too much. Or at least I did. I really needed my Thanksgiving pants!!  Prime rib, green beans, mashed potatoes, rice and broccoli casserole, cranberry apple casserole, roasted pear salad and homemade rye bread. Santa hat brownies for dessert!

An "Eye Spy" game turned silly

Very Silly

Every year, Matt and I let the children open up one shared gift on Christmas Eve. This year it was the "Llama Llama Holiday Drama" book.  Pops gave them a read while Mom and I cleaned up the kitchen.  Everyone got baths and that is where our own holiday drama began!!! Avery refused to wear her Christmas pjs, which coordinated with Will's. I should have known better than to investment so much time into this project, especially since they had buttons on them. Avery is in a very anti-button stage. So pink camo pjs it was. Whatever.

 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care and lots of cookies and milk were left out for Santa, and some carrots for his reindeer. Our sugar plums were soon tucked snuggled in their beds and Santa could finally get to finishing his work. Wow, between the basketball goal and the crib mobile, it is a good thing we didn't have a longer list that night!!