Catching Up with Christmas, part 2

A Christmas Eve tradition that lingers from our years of living in New Mexico is to have bowls of piping hot posole for dinner served with tortillas and chips and salsa. We then go to Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church. After a thoughtful and joyous service we had the opportunity to fellowship with our church family, which included Roxie and her entire clan. Blessedly, the inclement weather didn't settle in until we were all home safe and sound.

Upon returning home from church the children were allowed to open two presents. According to tradition these presents will always be new pajamas and a new book. The gift of pajamas helps insure that all the children will actually be dressed for Christmas day pictures and, theoretically, the book is supposed to give them something to do in bed until they drift off to sleep. This tactic tends to be more successful as they get older.

Christmas Day begins with the stockings...

Twister for game night - no more borrowing from Aunt Roxie.

Pokemon - one of his favs.

1989 - what a great year!

Then moves on to the gifts...

Star Wars Millennium Falcon - when constructed it will be over 2 1/2' long. Sounds like a great project for Bishop and Dad.

A great gift for Christian from Maceo and Bishop. Christian's main gift this year from Mom and Dad was his first gun. We got it a couple months back and he has enjoyed it.

A perfect "boy" gift - wooden swords from Keegan.

Keegan got clothes, lots and lots of clothes. She will need them for her trip to Orlando to meet the agents.

Pleased to receive a box of the ever-elusive Rice Krispie Treat Cereal.

Star Trek pez dispensers, all the original characters, from Maceo and Bishop to Dad.

Denver Bronco gear!

A gift of music - an mp3. He loves this thing!

The final gift - this would turn out to be Carolina Panthers gear.

No pictures of this but I got some Cincinnati Bengals gear, sweet!

The rest of the day was spent eating good food, playing games (the family got a Wii so the boys and Dad played that virtually all day, while us girls played card games, Jenga, and Aggravation), warming ourselves before the fire (yes, we did have a white winter), and adding the shepherds to the creche. What a beautiful and blessed day! I hope yours was as well!