Christmas Eve

This year it was just us for Christmas.  The kids wanted it that way, and most of our family lives too far away anyway.  We had an enjoyable time.  Eric had a whole week off before Christmas, so that was nice to get last minute stuff done and just have him around.  Since they got out of school a whole week before Christmas, I kept asking them if they would like to go and do something.  They kept saying, "No, they just wanted to stay home".  I think after all the craziness of our December up until that point, they just wanted to relax.  I kind of felt the same, so we mostly just hung out at home.  The kids had a few friend dates, and looked up Christmas patterns of legos on lego.com for their Lego Christmas village they were making.  They used white cardstock under all their lego houses for snow and built snowmen and Christmas trees to decorate the town (Jesikah, Tessa, and Jarem).  Alex did play a couple of times, but mostly he is feeling "too old" for Legos this year.

Our tradition on Christmas Eve is to have a dinner of clam chowder, rolls, crackers, and a veggie tray for dinner along with something good to drink.  This year the drink was pina colada mixed with Sprite...yum!  Then, Eric reads the nativity story in Luke 2 while the kids dress up and act out the Christmas story, then we have a little music where the kids can perform something for the family that they have prepared and we sing a few Christmas songs together while I play the piano.  The past 2 years, we have also watched the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Special on PBS, but this year it wasn't available in our area.  Then they each open a present (which is always pajamas) and head to bed.  It is always an enjoyable evening, and this year it was just as good. 

These are the Danish almond rolls that are our traditional Christmas breakfast.  This started many years ago in my family, and we have carried on the tradition.  I always bake them the night before and then frost and warm them in the morning.  These were

This is me working on the rolls and making the clam chowder

Since the kids had a week before Christmas, I encouraged the girls to learn a new Christmas song on the piano to perform on Christmas Eve.  I got out the Christmas piano books, and they each learned one.  Jesikah learned "Carol of the Bells", and Tessa did "Angels we have heard on high".  They both had duet parts that I got to play with them.  They had fun learning them, and I enjoyed hearing them play Christmas songs.  Also, Tessa had learned one of the songs from Polar Express, "When Christmas Comes to town" in honor choir.  Jesikah learned it from her, so I downloaded a instrumental version of that song from Itunes and they practiced it together lots before Christmas.  They sang it together and it turned out beautiful.  Alex and Eric did a couple of songs that they learned as part of the "Festival of the Nativity" choir.  One of them was "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".  For me, music is a big part of the Christmas season, so this year, we tried to keep music playing in our house all Christmas season.  It was nice, and I even noticed the kids turning it on when Eric or I hadn't.  I noticed my kids singing along some of the songs they didn't previously know.  That was nice. 

This is when Mary is riding the donkey to Bethlehem with Joseph closeby.  The donkey was trying to get out of the picture by hiding his head . :)  I'm not sure what is going on with Joseph...

Now Joseph is back to his kind and gentle self. :)

Jesikah as the angel

Now on to opening the presents:

Eric was first to open his pajamas

Then Jarem

Tessa (and they weren't from Victoria's Secret, it was just an easy wrap job) :)

Jesikah

Alex wouldn't show me his pajamas, only pose, but his pajamas are the plaid that you see to the left

Below, everyone dressed in their new pajamas:

And some Christmas hugs, whether for or against his will. :)