Christmas Eve was so much fun with my children and grandchildren. I got to my daughter and son-in-law’s home by 3:00 pm so we could all go to Christmas Mass together. We listened to the children’s choir as they sang several beautiful songs. Two of the children had solo parts and were very good. I’m sure these children practiced for months to perform on Christmas Eve. By 5:00 pm we left the church for home, traveling through pouring rain (instead of snow). Dinner was set for 6:30 pm. The little ones were hungry but were very preoccupied, because they were so excited to start opening their presents. We waited as long as we could and when my son did not show up, my son-in-law decided to call him. My son told us to go ahead and eat dinner without him. His dinner would be kept warm until he arrived.
My daughter truly outdid herself with her Christmas Eve feast. She had been cooking and cleaning all day long. Dinner included a beautifully baked ham with pineapple, candied yams (my favorite), twice cooked baked potatoes (the children do not like yams), green beans, fresh cranberry salad, 5-ingredient marshmallow salad, and freshly baked bread. Even my grandson, Drew, who is generally a picky eater, ate his fill of ham and marshmallow salad. I helped my daughter clear the table and wash the dishes so she didn’t have to spend too much time cleaning up. When we were all done, my son showed up.
As soon as her brother walked through the back door, my daughter took his plate out of the oven where it had been warming, and she started putting more ham, green beans, and twice cooked baked potatoes on it. While Uncle Chris ate his dinner, my grandson and I played his favorite Indiana Jones game. Every time I come to his house, Drew always wants to play his mother’s Indiana Jones game because he loves the movies. However, this time, all he wanted to do was look at different video sections. He wasn’t into playing the game by the rules.
As soon as Uncle Chris was finished with dinner, my daughter announced that it was time to open presents. The children excitedly handed one present at a time to a recipient, and little Drew threw his arms around each person telling him or her Merry Christmas! He was so excited every time he received a present. My son-in-law took still photos with my daughter’s Canon digital camera and my son used his Sony camcorder to record the evening’s festivities for posterity. My son even remembered Hank (my dog) with a “Snuggie” for dogs. Actually, the week before, I had gotten the same size, same color Snuggie for Hank myself. This was a wonderful thing for my son to do to remember my dog on Christmas. I was so happy.
My daughter, son-in-law, and the children gave me a beautiful brown microfiber cape. The cape was so warm. They also gave me some really nice dangly earrings, and a stocking full of goodies. My son was so generous. He gave me a beautiful pink Snuggie (the one with the book light), a Charging Station, and a terrific box of Pot-O’-Gold variety of Milk Chocolates. My evening was complete as I sat in my rocker wrapped in my lovely chocolate colored microfiber cape and pink Snuggie.
My granddaughter, Katy, was so excited when she opened up two pairs of toed knee socks. She ran over to her Momma and gave her big kisses. Katy is an innocent little 10 year old who takes wonderful care of her brother for her Momma and Papi (in Mexico, little children call their father Papi). She is a very big help so her next gift, an MP3 player was a very exciting gift. Katy was so excited, she immediately put the ear phones in, turned her MP3 player on, and started singing to the music. What a sweet little girl! I gave Katy a Discovery Kids laptop with 55 different games and tasks that she could do with her little brother, and a pink Snuggie with a pair of pink slipper socks. She was very happy with these gifts and gave me a hug, a kiss, and a heartfelt thank you.
Then, my son opened his presents from his sister. She gave him a fleece Chicago Bear jacket. You have to understand. My son is a die-hard Chicago sports teams fan. He is in to the Cubs and the Bears mostly, not so much the Bulls or the Blackhawks. One of my presents to my son also involved the Bears. I found a Chicago Bears Snuggie and hoped he wouldn’t think it was stupid. He loved it! The Bears blanket was also available; however, he already has one so I wrapped it up for Drew. He loves to use blankets to make a fort. The Bears blanket will keep him really warm if he chooses to use it in his bed. I also got my son a heated throw blanket. If he didn’t want to use it on his couch or chair as he watched TV, he could use it in his bed. When he opened it, he was very happy to have it. I guess I had made good choices for him. That always makes me happy.
My gift to my daughter made her very happy as well. She enjoys using a straightener. Even though I knew she had one, I gave her a well-made, not inexpensive straightener, definitely not from the Dollar Store. Apparently, her straightener had stopped working, so she had spent a couple of months without one. How lucky is that? I know she will be happy with the way this one works for her. The safety holder came with it so she wouldn’t burn herself or the counter top. I hope it works well for her.
I got my son-in-law a faux fur lined hooded jacket. He spends time outside shoveling snow, working on the snow blower, the car, etc. I hope the jacket keeps him warm. My daughter started laughing when her husband opened the jacket. She said she would have fun wearing the jacket, it would keep her very warm. She was joking, I think. Tracy gets very cold during the winter, so she wears her husband’s sweaters, jackets, pajamas, etc. She said she would wear the pajamas he got last night from his brother. All her husband could do was laugh. He knew he probably would not wear the pajamas or the jacket very much.
Little Drew was jumping up and down with excitement. He and his sister played Santa, delivering gifts to recipients and giving each a hug and a cute little “Merry Christmas.” When it came time for him to open his presents, his little face lit up like the Christmas tree when he opened the “Ben 10 Wrist Watch” from his Uncle Chris. His eyes got really big and his mouth opened wide with excitement. He immediately brought the package to his Momma to open so he could play with the watch and the discs that had come with it. The Light Saber (Star Wars) his Momma and Papi had just given him ended up on the floor when the Ben 10 watch came out of the package. Drew’s Christmas was complete. The rest of his presents were somewhat anticlimactic, the Diego and Dinosaur (from me) and the Transformer (from his Uncle Chris).
By the time everyone had opened their presents, it was 11:00 pm, time for bed. We had to get up the next day and drive to Addison, a suburb of Chicago, for Christmas Dinner with Tracy’s Dad and his wife (Grandma Ruth). Tomorrow, I will let you know how Christmas with Dad and Ruth went. We had a great dinner and there were more presents to open.
I hope all of my readers had as much fun Christmas Eve as I had. If not, you will be in my prayers and thoughts. Take care and don’t be afraid to leave a comment or two or three. Love to all!
