Christmastime!

I'm late but better than never!

We began our Christmas celebrations the weekend before Christmas.

First up, we traveled (the three miles) to my parents' house on Saturday for my dad's family Christmas.  I didn't get any pictures!  I couldn't believe it.  But it was a fun night full of lots of stories and laughs. My mom made chicken fingers and chili and everyone brought snacks and desserts.  It was too much!  But so good.

Sunday, we continued our tradition of having a traditional Christmas dinner with our closest friends.  Our best friends - A, N, and K - came over and of course my favorite guy Nicholas.  I made dressing, green bean casserole, ham.  A brought sweet potato casserole and corn souffle. K brought mac & cheese and cranberry sauce.  It was a feast!

We bought Nicholas a nerf dart gun.  He loved it.

I think I have this same picture from our previous Christmases together.  What will I do when he's too big for Hubs' lap?

Nicholas LOVES K.

Our next Christmas gathering was Saturday, the 22nd, and we were back at my parents' house for my mom's family.  We haven't had a big get together in a very long time.  It was the first time all four siblings and my grandmother were in the same place in over 15 years!  It was nice to have them together.  My grandmother (Granny) was recently diagnosed with leukemia so this gathering was extra special.  We had a huge spread of snack foods!  Let's see here...there was rotel dip, sausage balls, bbq sandwiches, meatballs, chicken cheese balls, cheddar cheese balls, jalapeno bites, pigs in a blanket, and so much more I can't even remember!  Plus, my granny made homemade fruitcake and my mom had a plethora of treats!

(l-r) Uncle B, Mom, Granny, Aunt R, and Uncle D

Grands and Grands-in-law
(l-r) Hubs, Me, My brother, Granny, cousin K, cousin-in-law C (with baby on board), and cousin C.

Gran

A pretty intense game of Yahtzee

My dad made a batch of my Granny's famous punch.  Lime Sherbert, Vanilla ice Cream, Ginger Ale. YUM!  A Christmas-Eve Tradition from my mom's childhood.

Hubs makes fun of me and calls me "Monica" from Friends because I tend to be very competitive. I come by it honest!

Granny's famous homemade fruitcake

My mom is the sweet queen!  She made fudge, peanut butter bites, cowboy cookies (my favorite), and pecan bars.

The whole gang!
Back row (l-r) - Hubs, Me, My Dad, C, little C, My brother, K, Uncle B, and Uncle D
Front row (l-r) - Aunt R, Granny, Aunt E, and Mom 

Christmas Eve was a bit of a hectic day.  My mother-in-law was sick so our tradition lunch with my father-in-law's sister was changed so we relaxed for most of the day. That evening, Hubs and I arrived at my parents' house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.  We had mexican!  Taco Salad and dip.  Delicious.  Then we played a game of Yahtzee and had more punch!

I'm not kidding.  Intense.

Dad's first time playing.  And he came in second...to Hubs (who had never played before either).

I didn't get many pictures on Christmas day.  We have a fairly busy day and our plans changed at the last minute but it all went off without a hitch.  First up, Hubs and I wake up early and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas while drinking coffee (and hot chocolate for me).  Then about 7 we head over to my parents' house to open presents.  My parents always go overboard and we were so blessed with many nice things.  My parents' did well for each other too.  It's a running thing for my dad to start calling me about 2 weeks before Christmas to work out what he's getting for my mom.  After opening gifts, we headed back home around 9.  My in-laws came down (they live next door) to our house and we exchanged gifts while eating hot cinnamon rolls.  I began cooking in anticipation of Hubs' aunt and her family joining us for lunch.  Since my inlaws were sick, we had Christmas at our house.  We exchanged gifts and had a wonderful lunch of ham, dressing, and all the fixings.  Hubs and I had a little while to unwind and relax before head back...where?  To my parents house for Christmas dinner.  It is a day full of going and eating but we are lucky to have our parents so close to be able to do that.