Christmas Eve 2007 with the Taylor's (McFarlane's, Jones')

Traditions are so much of what makes Christmas feel like Christmas, and so it was as with each year, we gathered for Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma Barb's. This year was such a treat because Rob, Mandy, Evan, and Lily arrived from Minnesota on Christmas Eve, and my uncle Jeff and his family were there from Arizona. Eric and Jenny were also able to travel safely through the snow, and we only missed Aaron, Teresa, Corinne, and Landon.

We ate a very delicious dinner until we were sick, and then as tradition would have it, ate some more. Afterward, we gathered and Whitney read The Tale of the Three Trees. Then, when the kids could wait no longer, we opened a few presents, and enjoyed one another's company. The only lame part of the evening is that we didn't play any games. That tradition was broken, probably because it seemed to get late quickly, and we didn't want to miss Santa, so we had to hurry home.

When we arrived home after 10 p.m. with two tired kids, we hurried to open our traditional Christmas Eve jammies. (Whitney insisted for weeks that she knew what she was getting for her Christmas Eve present, and even though she was right, I tried to keep her innocent, and fool her. To no avail... she's getting older, and we have to cherish her naivete from the past...)

After the kids were asleep, Brian and I sat down to enjoy a quiet house and some hot cocoa (it was the new yummy peppermint we bought at Cracker Barrel). I sipped just a bit from my very full cup, and then the clutz in me knocked it over, ALL OVER. And I spent the next hour (at least) cleaning up the mess. It's amazing how liquid spills find their way to so many places, especially after 1 a.m. We finally did go to bed that night (or morning, isn't that how Christmas Eve goes anyway?).