It has been a tradition to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family, typically in Williams. This would be the second time I hosted. Everyone gathered at our home around lunch time and we had light snacks that everyone brought along with my favorite, Cheesburger soup. It was a hit. We had the kids exchange gifts and gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. That ended up being a lot of gifts and took most of the afternoon. Mom had a craft planned for the afternoon for the girls. We all made little gnomes that turned out really cute.
In the evening we all went to our church in Boone for the evening Christmas Eve program. Wade stayed back with Levi, but the rest of us attended. They had a packed house and a nice service. They had people overflow into the aisles and back. Memories of Aunt Alice were fresh. Last year I sat next to her in Williams in a pew both holding our candles. I held back tears knowing that it was her last Christmas with us. I sat there with knots in my stomach trying to both enjoy the moment and not want to think of Christmas Eve without her. Here we were a year later and I was missing her. It didn't feel right without her presence. In past years she would sing with the choir. I thought of her as I listened to the worship song on the Christmas night. I also soaked in the words of the Christmas message of the birth of Christ. He is the reason we gather, he is the reason we celebrate!
Back to the house for round two, we had a giant ham with lots of other sides and goodies. Ali and Blake were able to join us for dinner as well. We had an adult gift exchange with the gift being a "date night". I had each person come up with a date they could enjoy as a couple. The dates were all placed in the center and we each randomly picked one. Dates included Women's ISU basketball game, a dinner theater, dinner and a movie, movie with popcorn and warm blankets, etc. I It was something different and simple. The kids had fun, Levi was excited about opening presents and has fun with Jacob and Luke. He likes to say their names. He still gibbers and is often hard to understand, but some things are really clear. He is a cutie with high energy. Alivia is quiet in her junior high years and growing up so much. We had a nice family gathering.
It has been a tradition to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family, typically in Williams. This would be the second time I hosted. Everyone gathered at our home around lunch time and we had light snacks that everyone brought along with my favorite, Cheesburger soup. It was a hit. We had the kids exchange gifts and gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. That ended up being a lot of gifts and took most of the afternoon. Mom had a craft planned for the afternoon for the girls. We all made little gnomes that turned out really cute. 
In the evening we all went to our church in Boone for the evening Christmas Eve program. Wade stayed back with Levi, but the rest of us attended. They had a packed house and a nice service. They had people overflow into the aisles and back. Memories of Aunt Alice were fresh. Last year I sat next to her in Williams in a pew both holding our candles. I held back tears knowing that it was her last Christmas with us. I sat there with knots in my stomach trying to both enjoy the moment and not want to think of Christmas Eve without her. Here we were a year later and I was missing her. It didn't feel right without her presence. In past years she would sing with the choir. I thought of her as I listened to the worship song on the Christmas night. I also soaked in the words of the Christmas message of the birth of Christ. He is the reason we gather, he is the reason we celebrate!
Back to the house for round two, we had a giant ham with lots of other sides and goodies. Ali and Blake were able to join us for dinner as well. We had an adult gift exchange with the gift being a "date night". I had each person come up with a date they could enjoy as a couple. The dates were all placed in the center and we each randomly picked one. Dates included Women's ISU basketball game, a dinner theater, dinner and a movie, movie with popcorn and warm blankets, etc. I It was something different and simple. The kids had fun, Levi was excited about opening presents and has fun with Jacob and Luke. He likes to say their names. He still gibbers and is often hard to understand, but some things are really clear. He is a cutie with high energy. Alivia is quiet in her junior high years and growing up so much. We had a nice family gathering.
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