Christmas #1

Last night was our family Christmas party.

Here is David posed (sort of) in front of the tree, pre-party:

And here is Mary. I know the picture didn't turn out, but I hope you can see the outfit Mary insisted on wearing:
Christmas for us this year is happening three times: early with my family, on the dot with Greg's family, and, finally, late with Greg.

My parents are leaving today for Idaho to celebrate the season with my grandma, aunt, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece. (Maybe it seems odd that my parents are leaving us in their home for Christmas. But Idaho is the right place for them to be this year, and we are content to stay in Texas.) Also, Dave and Ale are spending the holidays this year in Mexico. This necessitated a family celebration before we all go our separate ways.

We started off with a game of Christmas musical chairs. Even Grandpa Mike couldn't resist joining in on the fun (even though David had to "win" every time).

Next we enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve fare--lots and lots of appetizers. Our plates were piled high with spinach salad, fresh mozzarella and basil, crunchy taquitos, pigs in a blanket, Daniel's gourmet quesadillas with guacamole, sweet pineapple, and, for the pickiest of eaters, Bagel Bites (yuck). We gathered round the dining room table and stuffed ourselves until the conversation reached a happy deafening roar.

Then we retired to the family room to review the Christmas story aided by the adorable puppets Tia Ale made. David and Mary gladly joined in, and I was impressed with how well David could recount the events.

In keeping with tradition--and with the Christmas story fresh in our minds--we then acted out the nativity. David stubbornly refused to participate. He told me he wanted to be "a boy who sits on the couch and watches." Of course, Mary the Copycat followed suit. So the kids sat on the couch with my dad, the narrator of Luke 2, leaving the rest of us to fill the parts.

Here is an extremely unflattering picture (but isn't that what the Internet is for?) of Grandma Evie the Innkeeper (and later Wisemen), Mommy the Mary, Uncle Daniel the Joseph, Tio the Shepherd, and Tia the Angel.

Then, after everyone under the age of 20 changed into pajamas, we got down to the business of opening presents. What is a Christmas post without a few pictures of gift-opening?

This is Mary (donning hat and boots) helping Grandpa and Uncle Daniel distribute the gifts...

Tio helping David check out the features of his new Bruder truck (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!), while Grandpa assembles Mary's new Red Rider scooter (thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa!)...
Mary really got into the gift opening...
So much so that she insisted on helping everyone else open theirs. Here she is helping Tia...

We all received a bounty of lovely, thoughtful gifts.

We concluded our evening by gathering round the kitchen table, lighting our German candelabra, snacking on peanut butter kiss cookies and my mom's delicious chocolate balls, and singing Christmas carols in Spanish, as well as an attempt at a three part round of "Christmas Is Coming."

It was a wonderful, wonderful evening! I love my family. What a blessing to share Christmas with them this year!

And now we are all warmed up for a Christmas Eve sleep over at Grammy's house! (And counting down the days until Greg gets here for a short holiday visit.)

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Who doesn't want to see a video of my kids opening a present?

Mom, this one is for you (and your baby).