What a crazy past couple days! Even though I am on winter break, I do not feel refreshed and relaxed. Not by a long shot. It didn't help that I was sick with a really bad cold for the four days leading up to Christmas. It was hard to get things done and really prepare for the holiday when I felt so crappy. Then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day rolled around and it was just go, go, go! Yesterday, we took our nephews to the Carlisle Sports Emporium for a day of fun. It was their Christmas gift. They had a BLAST but I am exhausted for all the rushing around.
Luckily, I had a lot of blog posts already scheduled so I didn't have to blog while I was sick and busy. But here it is, Tuesday night, and I am quickly going to type up a post about our Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we have NOTHING planned, so I will be able to (hopefully) relax, do a bunch of puzzles, and write a bunch of blog posts!
I will be honest: I did not get a TON of pics this year because I was too busy just living in the moment...
I got up early on Christmas Eve so I could make a pineapple casserole and run six miles before going to my Grandma and Pappy's. Unfortunately, our can opener was broken. So I literally ran to the Dollar General to buy one. I figured I'd run back home to drop off the can opener before continuing my run, but I felt so good that I just kept going and carried the can opener the whole way!
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When I got home, I made the casserole, than Paul and I made the annual trek to Dauphin. Fun Fact: I have been going to my Grandma and Pappy's house for Christmas Eve for the past 35 years. Every year, they have lived in Dauphin, but they have lived in 5 different houses!
Most of the family was there! The grand total was 32 people. And you know what? 8 people were missing! We have a huge family... lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandchildren, and great grandchildren!
Clark!
Clementine
Debby, Ellie, and Clementine open gifts
Those tights...
Paul and I stayed for awhile, just laughing, talking, and playing games. Then it was time to head to his parent's house in Middletown for his family's Christmas celebration.
We picked up his brother on the way there, so it was me, Paul, his parents, brother, 2 nephews, a niece, a cat named Swiper, and a partridge in a pear tree.
We ate a BIG lasagna meal, opened presents, and practically fell asleep thanks to some good wine and spiked egg nog.
Deb's little Christmas fern!
Violet is a talented artist!
Then she drew Chrissy!
I do love egg nog...
Zay!
Uncle Paul with Eden and Violet
There was freezing rain, but I drove slow and we made it home safe and sound. We went to bed early... we didn't want to scare away Santa Claus!
What did you do on Christmas Eve?
Since I have been reading your blog over the last few years, it's been fun watching these kiddos grow! (I hope that doesn't sound creepy since I don't actually know them)!
ReplyDeleteWe did a lot of the same running around to see family too. We also went to church and also did our starbucks, pet store tradition with Baylee! I am Thankful for another year where we did not get kicked out of Starbucks...haha. I'm pretty sure she's not allowed in there but no one has ever said anything yet!
No that doesn't sound creepy! It's funny one time Ana recognized Debby and the kids while she was out and about hahaha. Someone recognized my dad while they passed him running trail. :) My dad felt like a celebrity...
DeleteWow you had such a busy Christmas Eve! My family went to a movie in the morning which is a tradition of ours, church and then my aunt's house for dinner and some presents.
ReplyDeleteI know you are talking about Christmas Eve, but my husband and I were talking and we figured movie theaters, Chinese restaurants, and gas stations are probably the only places open on Christmas! (Besides hospitals and stuff like that.)
DeleteWhat a fun looking Christmas Eve! I love fun family time! I also had plenty of alcohol on Christmas Eve, but sadly no eggnog! My husband was going to make it from scratch but ran out of time. But we had wine! And wine is just as good right? Hope you are finally getting some relaxing time!
ReplyDeleteBeth
The Beth Next Door
Is making it from scratch hard? I really love eggnog. I had some right before going to bed last night... but not spiked!
DeleteOmg you have such a big family! I have the opposite. Even if you gathered everyone in my family it would still be small: Mom, Dad, me, adam, my aunt and that’s it!! My grandparents are gone on both sides, my aunt on my mom’s side never had any kids and my dad is an only child just like me. My dad has three step-brothers and he talks to one of them but he and his family live in Massachusetts and I can’t remember ever meeting them.
ReplyDeleteAdams family is really small too so even if you combined our two families together it would be less than half of your family! I’m jealous I bet big family gatherings are the best.
It is fun to have big family gatherings but it is hard to get enough time to talk to everyone! It is interesting because when I was a kid, me and my cousins were the youngest, then my mom's brothers who are a lot younger than her started having kids, so we had a second round of YOUNG cousins and babies. So sort of two rounds of first cousins. Now our ages range from like 45-21. Now of course the cousins have started having kids, so there are lots of GREAT grand children!
DeleteI love when you can combine running and running errands!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah!
DeleteWhat a fun day! I love seeing all the pictures. My day started with a snowy 4 mile "trek" which was beautiful...so quiet. We went to church and then to Rick's family's house in the early afternoon. He has a BIG family so it was a wonderful chaos as usual and all the food :)
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas Eve sounds perfect. :)
DeleteTypically, we fondue with my parents and my neighbors that lived behind us growing up. But there was some sickness going around and we didn't want to risk it so we just stayed at my parents this year which ended up being super relaxing! Hope you are feeling better and get to enjoy a few low key days!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a relaxing Christmas Eve!
DeleteMy parents and I saw Star Wars Christmas Eve day. Other than that, it was low key and we played the Rudolph Monopoly version. I had stables on 3 properties and wiped my dad out of his money!
ReplyDeleteHaha stables instead of houses? What are hotels???
Deletehow long was your run to Dollar store?
ReplyDeleteThat Christmas fern is so awesome!!! We had a Christmas Fern when I was younger, my mom didn't want to buy a Christmas tree, so she just decorated the fern... fun fact, we don't have many pine trees in Mexico, and we never put up real pine trees.
Dollar Store is almost 1.5 miles. It's perfect!
DeleteThat is exactly why Paul's mom decorates the fern... she does not feel like decorating for Christmas!
So do people in Mexico put up fake pine trees?