Christmas Eve

12.24.17

Christmas Eve.....last minute cooking, wrapping....

Nathan, Kayla, Rowen, Mom and Dad came down for a little gathering to enjoy my Christmas spread and to open some presents.

MENU

Meatballs

Chicken Salad on Croissants

Hot Crab Dip

Spinach Dip w/Hawaiian Rolls

Shrimp Dip

Cheeseball

Cheese Spread

Crackers/Chips

Fresh Fruit Tray w/Fruit Dip

Veggie Tray

Macaroni Salad

Cookies

Slushy Punch

Besides their Christmas Eve boxes, we gave N & K an IRobot Roomba! :O) 

(I got it on sale Black Friday deal from Kohls!)

For Nathan: UGG slippers and Under Armor pants 

For Kayla: Rae Dunn canisters!!! :O)

For Rowen: a cute comfy chair with his name on it, a V-Tech walker, little Scout, Barnyrard cube with sounds, 2 outfits, Little People Nativity, and his Elf on the Shelf along with his Christmas Eve box. 

After dinner and presents, N, K, & R went to visit her family, went to the first Candlelight Service at NT church. They had hoped to make the second one at SMUMC but it was time to get Rowen settled him down for the night. Santa would soon be here!!!

Me and Peter went to the Candlelight Service along with Mom and Dad. It's one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I just sit there and take in the stillness. Finally, after days, weeks of craziness, there is no more buying, no more cleaning, no more cooking, no more wrapping, nothing, except being still and focusing on the real reason for this Christmas season. As O Holy Night is being sung, I focus on the words of that song and forget about how tired I am or all the things I didn't get done, and savor those moments and thank the Lord for all his many blessings on me and my family this past year. How awesome that all those years ago, a baby came into this world, that each of us could have a Savior, who loves us and who died for each of us that we could have eternal life through him. 

"For unto you is born this day, a Savior which is Christ the Lord!"

We stopped by N & K's for a few minutes then home to get our jimmies on.
We watched Christmas Vacation one last time.....

then watched our usual A Christmas Story until we went to bed.