Christmas

For some, big families means lots of food and long holidays. This is true for myself and I can't complain as we have certainly have cooks in the family. Although we are together for most Holidays, Christmas is the big one. We schedule as far in advance as possible, this way everyone can make it and enjoy the day. The family gathers at Nana's for a full day of food, gifts, games, and memories.

We couldn't do Christmas without the main dishes:

Sweet Tea (yes, that is a dish!)

Ham

Turkey

Fried Chicken

Greenbean Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Rolls

Gravy

Red Beans

Mixed Greens

Pumpkin and Pecan Pie

Chocolate Mousse

Whew, now that's a menu! Everyone is assigned a dish or a condiment. If someone wants to bring something new, that's alright as well. Chocolate covered bacon, don't knock it til you try it!

Now that everyone is stuffed, time to exchange gifts. Everyone gets a little gift. It could be a new pair of , a charm, or a new fishing lure for the guys. The kids get stockings with goodies and treats. We all unwrap and show off our new treasure together.

It's game time and that means Spades or 42. A quick tournament to enjoy the company and laugh at silly mistakes! The guys do tend to be more serious. It took me 27 years to learn 42, but it's now my favorite game next to Rummy. This is the most time-consuming part of the day, again, those guys believe this is serious business! Some of us nodded off for a nap, or went back to pick at leftovers as we wait for the champions.

! We have a winning team and as the evening winds down, we prepare the little ones for Santa to come by. Now, this means that we watch him go across the sky in his sleigh with his reindeer. The adults find a slow-moving "sleigh" in the sky to show the kids, so they can now follow Santa across the night sky delivering gifts! The local news station helps us keep up and the kids are so excited for when Santa will be close to arriving.

After cleaning up and hugs and kisses and long goodbyes everyone makes their way home. Don't want to miss Santa, so the kiddos are shuffled to bed! Mommy and Daddy wait for no sneaky business and when all is clear, presents go under the Christmas tree. Of course, it's late and the kids will be up to see what Santa brought while they were sleeping.

Merry Christmas!!!

Everyone is up and the area around the Christmas tree is a sea of wrapping paper. The family opens the gifts, has a quick breakfast, and they are out the door excited to share what they got for Christmas this year!

Our Christmas is filled with activity and joy, laughing and scrumptious family dinner. And even as the little ones watch for Santa on Christmas Eve, we always make sure our kids remember the true meaning of Christmas. For Christians, the birth of Jesus. For everyone, it's the season of giving. The season of caring for family, friends, and neighbors. It's the season of thanks and joy.

With Love and Best Wishes,

Kimberly